Half Moon Bay
by F4llon
Summary: Ava series part 2 — Set fifteen months on, the Walker family settle into their new life with their new identities. Gibbs discovers a stranger in town whose a threat to his family. As he tries to contact Callen, Sam and Callen go off grid. Sidorov has returned to Los Angeles, causing grief for all the team.
1. Chapter 1

**Half Moon Bay**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

_**Half Moon Bay**_

Fifteen months of hard work and Natalie Walker felt she and her kids had settled well into their new life, in Half Moon Bay. She owned one of the town's two bakeries on Main Street, which with the help of her family, expanded into a cafe as well. To those around her, she was just an ordinary mother, raising her kids on her own after tragically losing her husband to cancer. Her husband's body lay in the town's only cemetery, while his brother and father visited as often as they could. Her children learned the trade of carpentry from their grandpa, and transformed their family home which had been in need repair and extended the business.

But there was nothing ordinary about her. She was on constant alert to strangers in town, especially if they looked suspicious and carried a foreign accent. In her mind, to everyone around her, she and her kids were living a lie. They couldn't tell anyone who they really were, as their lives depended on it. Yet in a small community of around twelve thousand people in and around the town, people cared and watched out for one another. Slowly but surely, Natalie and her kids let their guards down a little and made friends. Genuinely caring friends, who took them into their fold and became part of the community.

In their first six months of living there, Ryan, her eldest, had taken the rest of the school year off to help her set up the bakery, before starting UCSF in the following fall, in Marine Biology. He had been excited about his new course, with the ocean being on their doorstep. He studied at home to catch up on what he had missed due to changing courses after his first year at Radford, where he had studied business. His backstopping implied he had already completed his first year in Marine Biology, so it was essential for him to make the most of the free time. He would explore the beach and go out on a boat with the local Marine Biologists and soaked in all the information that they shared with him. Finally he felt he had found his niche. His calling of what he wanted to do for a career. Ryan thrived at UCSF, just completing his second year of the four year course.

Alexis had just graduated from High School as head of her class and she was starting UCSF in the Fall to join her brother in the same field of Marine Biology. Natalie had seen a major change in her children since they had moved to Half Moon Bay. They spent more time outdoors exploring than they had when they lived in D.C. Ryan and Lexie remained close and were always there for their mom and younger siblings. All four children worked part time at the bakery and cafe, but they really thrived out on the beach and on the water.

Jake, the children's uncle, visited often with some buddies, who taught them all to surf and sail. Even Natalie had lessons and seemed brighter after the loss of her husband. Their grandpa built a small boat for them to use, during his last vacation. They called it 'The Escapade.' It seemed fitting from what they had escaped from in D.C. Their faces glowed from the healthy sea air and they were full of energy ready to make the most of each day ahead of them. The change had been a blessing and they still managed to see those close to them, although they lived far apart. Even Natalie's mother visited and they met in San Francisco, to keep their life in Half Moon Bay separate. They had new identities, which protected them from the enemies of her father and the real father of her two older children.

The door to the bakery pinged open and a woman in her forties entered with her husband and two children. They were tourists looking for a cool place to replenish their hunger and thirst.

"Mmm!" She spied a tempting napoleon cake. "This is the first place we've been to on this trip to sell these." Coming from the East Coast, they were accustomed to this mouth watering desert. "We'll definitely have to have one of those."

The family ordered and sat down to enjoy their feast and drink when a familiar face walked in. He was a grey haired man in his late fifties and he looked refreshed. The last time the woman had seen this man, grief had overtaken him.

Dan Walker had been out sailing with his eldest grandson when he entered Vanilla Pod Bakery and Cafe. Ryan had to wash up before his shift at the family's business, so he was on his own. He looked around he but couldn't see his daughter-in-law anywhere.

"Excuse me." A woman's voice broke his thoughts. "But have we met before?"

Dan looked down at the woman and a memory of the fake funeral of his daughter and her family was brought to the front of his mind. He kept his face blank as if he had no idea who this woman was. "Not that I know of." He smiled gracefully and continued on his path to the counter.

"I'm sure that is Ava's father," the woman whispered to her husband.

"Leave him alone, Karen. Please! If it is him, the last thing he needs right now is to be bothered by a stranger."

"I'm no stranger, John. Ava was one of my dearest friends. He not only lost his daughter, but his grandchildren as well." It was fortunate Karen kept her voice low, due to her children who lost their good friends, Jesse and Kelly. On a nearby table a man sat alone reading a newspaper, which he hid in.

"Hi, Dan, how was the water?" Sandra Levitt asked him. She was Ava's right hand woman at the bakery and cafe.

"It is a beautiful day out there. When do you finish your shift?" He jested each time he visited to ask her out on a date. So far she had jokingly refused. But silently, they both wondered if the other was actually serious about them having a date. Neither were willing to make the first step.

"I'm on till closing tonight. Natalie wasn't feeling well, she's gone home early. Ryan will be in soon, won't he?" Sandra pushed her red hair behind her ear as she felt her heart flutter from his blue eyes. The same blue eyes his son and eldest two grandchildren had inherited, she noted. She had befriended the family instantly, as she too had lost her husband to cancer. The two women had become best friends and worked side by side each day at the bakery.

Dan casually scanned the bakery and turned his focus back to the red head before him. "Can I use the phone out back for a moment please, Sandra?" Although he had his cell on him, he needed to be somewhere private for this call. "I came straight from the marina. My cell's back at the house," he lied. He hated to lie, but this was important.

"Yeah sure, Dan." Sandra smiled and led the way through to Ava's office.

Dan rang the home phone first.

"Ryan? Stay at home. Make sure you're all there," Dan pressed.

"Well Zac and Mia are out still at some friends'."

"You know where?" Worry began to return to his face.

"Yeah we do. They're both at the O'Reilly's." Ryan quickly texted Zac and Mia to stay where they were. He hoped they were still there and not out anywhere.

"I'll ring Jake. I'll be back soon." Dan hung up one call and made another. Frustration rang through him as Jake didn't answer. It was unusual for him not to answer. He decided to make another call. "Nell. It's Dan. Where's Jake?"

"Hi, Uncle Dan. No sorry I can't talk at the moment, we're in the middle of interviewing a celebrity. I'll ring you back later."

Dan sighed. He knew from the cryptic clues Nell had given him that Owen Granger was in the room, therefore she couldn't talk. He hoped she could get back to him soon, or at least Callen.

Office of Special Projects, Los Angeles

"You gave your Uncle Dan a secured number?" Owen Granger grumbled.

Hetty entered the Ops Centre and picked up on Granger's tone towards Nell. "Miss Jones, may I please have a word with you, alone."

Nell nodded and followed the Operations Manager out of Ops to a small office off to the side. Inside, Nell was relieved to escape Granger's presence with the opportunity to tell Hetty all that had been going on.

"What's going on, deary?" Hetty could see the strain on her intelligence analyst.

"Neither Sam and Callen have reported in since they went to check out a lead. Eric and I have tried numerous times to call them, but nothing. And now Agent Gibbs has called me. And there's only one reason why he's called..."

"There's a problem in paradise," Hetty responded. "Have you located their GPS trackers, Miss Jones?"

"Yes, still at the address we gave them earlier. The ones in their watches and on Sam's car. I don't like this, Hetty." Nell creased her brow as she thought on reasons for Sam and Callen's disappearance.

"Call Agent Gibbs back and find out what's going on. I'll try to stall Granger, so you and Eric can tap into the cameras up in paradise. I'll get a team to the GPS location immediately for back up." Hetty watched her protégé leave the small office. She climbed down the stairs and unlocked her hidden draw in her desk. She pulled out an old satellite phone and pressed a programmed number, under the name of Shadow.

_**In a warehouse, downtown Los Angeles**_

Callen rubbed the back of his head from the pain that throbbed from that location. He felt something sticky and knew instantly he had a serious enough wound, that he bled. He pulled himself up into a sitting position as best as he could and found his feet were bound together and tied to a supporting post. He looked around for his partner and sighed when he saw him bound to another post, still unconscious. Whoever had jumped them had expected them to come through that door when they did. He tried hard to remember what had brought them to this location, but his brain struggled to cooperate due to his injury. Out numbered, definitely. Dirt covered the warehouse floor, which indicated it had been abandoned for quite some time. He hoped the rest of their team had realised that something had gone wrong. He saw his partner groan and move slightly as he came to.

"G?" Sam's voice was rough from being knocked unconscious.

"I'm over here." He kept his voice low, to keep the fact they were both now conscious from their captors.

Sam rolled over till he could see his partner. Sam was relieved to see his partner was still with him and okay. "You good?"

"A head wound, but okay." He tried to pass off his throbbing headache, knowing Sam would make sure he was checked out later when help arrived. If help arrived. No, he couldn't afford to think like that. They were part of an elite team. Help was probably on it's way right then. He needed for his sanity to believe that other NCIS Agents were on their way.

A door at the far end of the warehouse creaked as footsteps and voices were heard from the other side. Five men walked through and Sam's blood went cold as he recognised Isaak Sidorov amongst them.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. David Forman with a new partner. Your old partner couldn't hack it anymore? Both agents knew he was referring to Deeks. The detective had suffered insurmountable trauma from having his teeth drilled into by one of Sidorov's men. But slowly the shaggy blond detective and former lawyer had surprised them all, and returned to his old sense of humour and to the team.

"What do you want from us?" Sam tried hard to force himself free from his bindings, unsuccessfully. He thought this nightmare was over, but the Russian kept coming back to haunt him and his family over and over again.

"What I have always wanted, Quinn. I want her back. And I know you know where she is." Isaak watched the large former Navy SEAL try hard to hide his emotions from him. "You and your old partner were very good, I have to say, when you endured the craft by my old friend here when he tortured you both the last time we met. The lengths you both went to to ensure I never found out the truth, that she is one of you, a Federal Agent." He laughed as he continued. "She was very convincing, I have to say, until she took my cell from me. She had me believe that she had killed you both. Only to find that you at least are very much alive."

"I don't know what you are talking about. I woke up in hospital with a bullet wound to my chest..."

"Did you not think we wouldn't check your body out when you were unconscious? Your partner here has far more impressive bullet wounds in his chest than you have, David. Or should I call you Agent Sam Hanna?" he spat out.

Sam's brown eyes enraged with anger towards the man before him. The only way Sidorov could have known his real identity was from Janvier. He looked over at his partner with fear for his wife and children's safety.

"I am impressed by your country's defence department, killing twenty of my men at Camp David last year. The lengths your people will go to protect their leader. However we know we weren't after the President or his family, only one of his guests. Yet I am still wondering why Quinn was there with the President's family?" Isaak Sidorov left the question hanging in the air, as he searched Sam's eyes for a clue.

Sam focused on his breathing to keep his emotions in check. So far he was successful, but he wasn't sure for how long. "No idea." He replied nonchalantly.

"Pity!" Sidorov moved from Sam towards Callen. "I'll make a deal with you. You give me Quinn and I'll call my man in Half Moon Bay to walk away from your partner's friend, Agent Gibbs."

All colour left Callen's face. How did Sidorov know about Gibbs? He hadn't mentioned Ava or their kids. Where they safe? Millions of questions rushed through his throbbing head.

"You have twenty-four hours. You meet me back here with Quinn and your partner's friend will be safe."

Sidorov left with his men leaving Sam and Callen alone again. Ten minutes later the warehouse was stormed with NCIS Agents along side Owen Granger, Kensi and Deeks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Half Moon Bay**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

_**Los Angeles**_

"Stay still, Callen." Kensi's soothing voice echoed through the abandoned warehouse. He was being his stubborn self refusing help, but she had noticed the bleeding on the back of his head. "Let the paramedics take a look at your head wound."

"No! We don't have time, I need to call Gibbs." Callen searched for his cell, but he couldn't find it. "Your cell? I can't find mine." Resignedly, Kensi caved in and gave their team leader her cell.

"You gave him your cell?" Deeks quipped over to his partner. "You caved in just like that? Now if it had been me, you would have stretched it out longer and pretended like you weren't going to let me have it..."

"You're such a blatherskite, Deeks," Callen snapped at the detective.

"I'm a what?" Deeks asked stunned at Callen's retort towards him. "You been hanging out with Wikipedia here and learning new words.."

"Shut up, Deeks!" Callen glared at him. He was not amused by the detective's blabbering. "I can't hear over your chatter." He knew he was being snappy with him, but he had no patience and his head continued to throb. "Gibbs. Sidorov has a man up there following you...Who? When?"

Deeks shook his head and walked over to see how Sam was doing. "He's worried." Sam told him. "Don't take it personal, Deeks. He's under a lot of pressure worrying about his family."

Deeks shrugged. "How are you?" The detective and former Navy SEAL had made amends since he tried to save his and Michelle's lives.

"I'll be fine when we get Sidorov." Sam watched Callen talk to Gibbs on the cell. "Sidorov has a man in town where Gibbs and the others are. He never mentioned them, but his man has been following Gibbs..."

"He's worried that they'll find out that they're still alive and tell Janvier?" Deeks inquired.

Sam nodded.

"He's not the only one to suffer because of Janvier. Look what we've gone through because he had burned you? Surely he can see we're all in this together?"

"He still feels the guilt of going into Iran and bringing Janvier back here. All that's happened to us, to Matt, and the rest of his family —- he blames it on himself. He needs to find peace with it all. But now he's had to hide them, take them away from their own lives because of something he did." Sam eased himself up onto his feet using the support post. He swayed a little as the dizziness remained from the concussion he sustained by Sidorov's men.

"We're on our way." Callen hung up and handed Kensi her cell back. "We've got to go."

"You're not going anywhere, Agent Callen." Owen Granger moved closer to the team leader, forcing his position over him. "You need to have your head looked at."

"I'm fine," Callen snapped. "What are you doing here?" He glared at him briefly. "I don't have the time to deal with you." He went to walk past the Assistant Director, only to sway and have Granger grab him for support.

"Do you have a headache, Callen?" Concern spread over his face as he looked at his son more closely.

Callen shook his head, but it throbbed and hurt too much. He winced.

"Like hell you don't." Granger called over an paramedic. "Agent Callen needs to be assessed at the hospital before he can be released. He's suffering pain from his head injury, losing balance and is more intolerable than usual." Owen advised the paramedic. He handed Callen over to him and watched his son resist, only to lose the battle. Callen bent over and heaved, as his body purged the contents from his stomach, onto the warehouse floor.

"I need assistance over here." The paramedic called out to his colleague who had just finished up with Sam. His partner rushed over and helped him walk Callen to the ambulance. They laid him on the stretcher and began assessing him thoroughly.

"Damn!" Sam watched with worry over at his partner. "I should have known he wasn't good."

"He's in good hands now," Granger added. "I think you should go too, just to be sure."

Sam nodded in agreement. He still felt unstable on his feet. Sam looked over at his challenger.

"Don't worry, I'll drive it back to the mission." A small smile crept on the older man's face, as he saw worry over his car in Sam's eyes. The last time Granger had driven the challenger, Sam had to put it in the shop for the brakes to be fixed.

Sam hung his head low as he ducked into the rear of the ambulance to join his partner. Callen looked pale and he worried over him as well as their families. He was glad Michelle left home yesterday to drive up the coast to Half Moon Bay. Safe and far away from Sidorov for now. But the threat of Sidorov's man being in town following Gibbs', concerned them both.

"Did you get through to him?" Sam asked Callen.

"Yeah! He's seen the Russian already in the bakery. But that's not all. One of his daughter's good friends is also in town. She asked him if they had met before. He denied it of course, but still, if she saw any of them..."

Sam gently squeezed his partner's shoulder to succour him. "Are they okay?" That was the main thing on both of their minds. Michelle was due to arrive there tonight with their girls in tow. He had tried her cell unsuccessfully, knowing that she was probably driving at the time. He had left a message, stressing the urgency and hoped she would ring back before they arrived in the seaside town.

"Yeah! Gibbs rang through to the house on the office phone and told them all to stay put. He's offered to help Sandra in the bakery seeing Ryan can't do his shift and to keep an eye on the Russian."

Both men sighed with relief at the news from Half Moon Bay. "Let's hope Michelle get's my message and calls me before they arrive there."

"Oh Sam, I'm sorry. I forgot they were on their way up there." Callen tried unsuccessfully to sit up collapsing back down again. He placed his hands on his head to force the pain to go away.

"You okay, G?" The paramedic leaned down over Callen as he saw Callen was in pain.

"How much pain are you in, Agent Callen?" The paramedic opened up a syringe and drew in some liquid from a bottle.

"I'll be okay." Callen tried to overcome the pain that stabbed into the rear of his head from the movement.

"I'm going to give you some morphine for the pain."

"No morphine..." Callen's pleading went unheard as the paramedic inserted the syringe into his vein. "Ouch!" His vision became blurred as he dozed off to sleep.

The ride to the hospital was swift and before long both Sam and Callen were lead inside on stretchers to be looked at. Hetty stood beside her agents as the doctors took blood samples, checked Sam's cranial nerves from vision and eye movement and ordered head scans for them both. However Callen's condition was more serious and the swelling on the back of his head was detected even before he went in for a scan. The fact that he had been knocked out by morphine due to the pain he was in, made assessing him more difficult.

"How are they, doctor?" Hetty watched Dr Morris sigh before he answered.

"Agent Callen is not in a fit state to leave the hospital today, Miss Lange. He needs a few days at least to recover from his head wound."

"You know he won't stand for it, Dr Morris." Hetty remained stoic as she listened to the doctor inform her the seriousness of her team leader's injuries. "But we can at least try, I suppose." She tried to appear in agreement with the doctor, as she knew Callen needed rest to recover properly, but with all that was going on, she doubted he would stay. As long as the morphine was working, there was no way Callen was going anywhere.

_**Half Moon Bay**_

Dan Walker stayed in the bakery to assist Sandra Levitt, seeing he had told his grandson, Ryan, to stay at home. The Russian kept his head in the newspaper while the woman who had approached him finally left with her husband and children, much to his relief. His nerves were wrought tight as he went about the usual business of serving customers and cleaning up from those who had left. He was on edge waiting for this man of Sidorov's to make his first move. Part of him wanted to push the unsuspecting man to the floor and arrest him there on site. At least everyone in the bakery and Half Moon Bay would be safe with this man locked away. But he wasn't in this town as Federal Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He was there as Dan Walker, father-in-law to Natalie Walker. For the sake of their new identities, he had to play along with being oblivious to the threat.

It was approaching six, time to lock up and move the remaining customers out of the front door. He had gone through the back to ensure the rear door was secure before approaching the stranger. "Excuse me, Sir, but we are locking up now." Gibbs pretended to not notice the man, but he took in his features and regarded which direction he left as he walked outside. He turned off the lights and observed the man climb into a black SUV and drive away, heading north, away from the Walkers' family home. He persuaded Sandra for dinner out, allowing him to have more time out and away from his family. After his phone call with Callen, he didn't want to head home and place them all at risk. He knew the man wasn't going far, seeing the threat Sidorov made to Sam and Callen was by the following morning. He might as well enjoy his time with Sandra for the time being.

"Well I think I'm going to have you help me out more often, Dan, if this is the treat I get afterwards." Sandra Levitt smiled warmly over to Dan, as they sat and enjoyed an Italian meal by the marina. Fresh seafood caught that day out at sea sat in plenty on their plates. "This looks delicious."

Dan laughed at his red head companion. She was six years his junior, but she glowed and made him feel that bit younger again. "I wish I could say we caught it ourselves, but as you already know we went diving not fishing," he jested with her. Their conversation remained light and both enjoyed the other's company.

_**Walker's family home**_

Michelle pulled up outside the Walkers' family home and noticed the missed calls from Sam. She and Kamran were tired from seeing the sights on their way up. It gave her the opportunity to check if they were being followed and make the drive more enjoyable for them both. She looked in her review mirror and smiled at the sleeping forms of her daughter. "Wake up my beautiful girl. We're here."

Eden Johnson opened her eyes and yawned, stretching her arms out as she took in their surroundings. "We're here?"

"We sure are, sweetie. Let's get our bags inside and say hello, hey!" Kamran nodded and helped her mom carry bags to the front door.

A creak on the porch behind them put Michelle Hanna on high alert. She grabbed her weapon from the rear of her jean's waistband and switched the safety switch off.

"It's okay. It's Dan."

Michelle sighed with relief when she saw Dan Walker appear from the shadows.

"You gave me a fright..." Michelle Hanna placed her arms protectively around her daughter.

"You have every right to be alert, Melanie. Has Rob contacted you yet?" Dan could see the effects of hiding from Sidorov had taken a toll on the woman before him.

"I have a few missed messages..."

"Call him. It's urgent," Gibbs interjected. "I'll take Kamran inside to settle, seeing it's late."

Michelle nodded and dialled Sam.

"Michelle, what's taken you so long to call me back?" Sam sat beside his partner's bed in the hospital room.

"Hi there, babe. What's up. Dan says it's urgent."

"You're there already?" Callen saw Sam's face crease from worry.

"What's going on?..."

"Sidorov is back in town. He wants Quinn. He says he know's who she is. He know's my real name too. Janvier has been talking from prison," Sam advised her.

"Crap! Well it's a good thing we're out of town then..." Michelle paused as her mind tried to catch up on all her husband had told her. "Wait a minute, how did you find all of this out?" Worry crossed her face as all prior events flicked through her mind. "Are you okay?"

"He's got a man in town. Stay low. Gibbs will tell you about him. Don't worry about us, Shell, keep yourselves safe up there." Sam hoped that would appease her.

"What aren't you telling me, Sam Hanna?" She kept her voice low, although she really wanted to shout it out at him to make him tell her.

"Sidorov laid a trap for G and I..."

"Sam..." Michelle's heart pounded in her chest from fear of what had happened to her husband and partner.

"We're fine. Just suffered some minor concussion. G's being forced to stay overnight, but we'll be on our way first thing. Nell's book us all onto a flight tomorrow..."

"Just some minor concussion? Do I have to call Hetty to get the details or are you going to tell me what went down?" Her patience was running thin with worry.

"We had a lead on a case, or so we thought. We were knocked out as we entered the warehouse. Ww woke up with a concussion and feet tied to a support post. Then Sidorov walked out and demanded Quinn. He's got a man up there to kill Gibbs if we don't deliver. We don't think they know about Natalie and the kids. Callen's out of his mind with worry and has threatened a few nurses for not letting him leave." It would have humoured the former Navy SEAL had the situation not be so dire for both men. He understood his partner's frustration.

"When's the deadline?" Michelle's voice rose in pitch as fear set in.

"Twenty-four hours. But that was hours ago..." Sam tried hard to think back to the details. His head was still fuzzy from the concussion.

"What time, Sam?" She had worked out Sam was struggling with the details due to the concussion.

"Ask Gibbs what time G rang him. It was about twenty minutes before that when Sidorov and his men left us. I'm sorry, Shell, my mind is fuzzy."

"Get some rest, Sam. Love you, babe." Michelle scanned the neighbourhood before entering the Walkers' home. Nothing seemed inauspicious.

Dan welcomed Melanie Johnson with a warm cup of coffee as she entered the house. All the lights were switched off except for the ones in the kitchen, highlighting the oak cupboards and bench, contrasted with a white porcelain farmhouse sink and antique tap ware. Narrow gloss white brick shaped tiles adorned the walls to break up the oak, with large earthen tiles and rug on the floor. Matching exposed wooden beams supports hung overhead, giving a real country living feel to the room. A double black and green cooker sat inside the old original fireplace, using the chimney instead of the modern extractor fan. A sliding door through to the butler's pantry to where the refrigerator and other appliances were, hid them from view.

Melanie sat on the wooden bar stool beside Dan and nodded in appreciation for the warm liquid. "You've been busy here." She nodded towards the craftsmanship he had made on the kitchen. Her inspection on the rest of the house would have to wait till she had a chance to wander. "Jake told me how skilled your hands are with wood. It's beautiful."

"Thanks. Jake and the kids helped too." Dan sipped from his mug, savouring the aroma. Normally he wouldn't drink coffee so late when he wasn't working, but there was too much danger in town. He needed to stay alert. "I see it as team work."

"Jake helped too? He could do with some furniture in his own house." Michelle laughed as she thought over the sparseness of Callen's house.

"Next project." Dan smiled. "Rob update you on what's going on?"

"Yes he did. Did you know that they were knocked out today and held hostage in a warehouse?" she inquired.

"No, I didn't. Jake's never good at telling the finer details," Dan replied.

"No, he's not. Now Rob said there was a man in town. We need to dispose of him tonight. We can't risk him finding me here nor discovering Natalie and the kids are alive," Michelle stressed.

"I agree. Hence why I gave you coffee and not tea."

Michelle smiled over at the older man. "Thanks. Okay, so what do you have planned?"

They remained close as Dan Walker became Agent Gibbs and delivered his plan of attack with the former CIA Agent, Quinn.


	3. Chapter 3

**Half Moon Bay**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

_**Cedar-Sinai Medical Centre**_

Sam opened his eyes and cursed himself for falling asleep, as he noticed his partner was no longer in the bed. He stretched himself as he stood up and searched for him in the adjoining bathroom. An injured Callen on the loose of Los Angeles was never a good thing. A nurse entered the room and raised her brows towards him as she nodded her head over to the empty bed.

"He's gone," Sam advised her. "I fell asleep. I'm sorry." They all knew of the seasoned agent's history for absconding hospitals.

The nurse sighed in response. "He needs to rest. Who knows what may happen to him with that kind of head injury? I'll give you his meds, please make sure he takes them."

Sam followed the short plump nurse to the nurses' station and waited while she took his medication out of the drugs cupboard and handed them to him. "Two every four hours. He's due for his next in an hour. Ensure he gets them."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll force them down his throat if I have too." The nurse smiled at the thought as she inspected each muscle under Sam's brown long sleeve T-shirt.

"I'm sure you'll manage. But if he has any dizzy spells, finds it hard to remember things or vomits, get him to a hospital immediately," the nurse stressed.

"Will do," Sam replied with a forced smile on his face, trying hard to keep in this nurse's good books, not knowing if he would need her help with his partner again in the near future.

_**Hetty's Beverly Hills home**_

Hetty tossed and turned in her bed as a concoction of scenarios of her agents being tortured or killed by Isaak Sidorov, rambled through her mind, as she tried hard to fall off to sleep. Her phone buzzed, snapping her mind out of the horror. "Yes?"

"Miss Lange." Hetty heard the senior nurse looking after her agents voice on the other end of the phone. "Agent Callen has disappeared again. I have released Agent Hanna in hope he will find his partner to keep an eye on him and ensure he has his medication."

"Thanks you for advising me, Doris. We knew it was only a matter of time for the morphine to leave his system to give him the strength to leave. I'll try contacting them both." Hetty searched for her glasses on her bedside table. She heard a slight movement. Not a creak, for that would have been too obvious. But more like a soft movement of her curtain that caught her attention. "You can come out of there now, Mr Callen."

Callen moved from behind her bedroom curtain as Hetty switched on the bedside lamp. "How did you know I was there?"

"You were too imperceptible to be anyone else I know." She smiled at his ability to achieve such a skill —- one which she herself had mastered. She found her petite size aided her in her achievement, but Callen had managed to mask his presence to many and move around like a ghost.

"I learnt from the best." He flattered her with words of praise.

"Hmm! I don't remember teaching you that particular skill..."

"One doesn't have to train another deliberately for a skill to be learned," he told her plainly.

"You always were a brilliant observer, Mr Callen. Even as a child you would blend in with the furniture and observe other people. A natural talent you inherited from your father..."

"Don't talk about him. He's not my father. He's nothing but a bastard." Callen had refused to accept Granger as his father, nor had he found room in his heart to forgive the stunt he had pulled on himself and Gibbs in D.C.

"It worries me that you have not forgiven Owen for his misgivings. He only had the best intentions for you and your family. He may not have gone about it the right way..."

"Since when have you stood up for him, Hetty? I saw it in your eyes when I told you what he did. You were peeved at him too." Anger threatened to bubble to the surface as the choice of topic had moved onto his father, Owen Granger.

"Since I have seen the effects of your feud. Please forgive him, Mr Callen. If not for his sake, for your own. Don't let anger and hate settle in your heart for too long, before it eats at you and eventually destroys the very essence of who you are. You are a good man, Mr Callen. A great example to your children. I've watched from afar since you told me about them. You and Ava have done a great job with them. Family is too precious to discard for one mistake."

"One mistake?" Callen's voice pitched high as he was in disbelief over Hetty's words. "You think this is just over one mistake? How about trying 'too many'. He worked here along side us for three years and said nothing. Not a word. Not even when I found out my father's name when the Comescus came after me a second time, nor when Michael Rhinehart died because they thought he really was my father. Granger said nothing."

"He was shot in the shoulder, Mr Callen, if my memory serves me correctly." Hetty reminded him. "Now I know this is not the reason why you absconded from your hospital room only to argue with me over Owen. Why are you here in my bedroom in the middle of the night?" She omitted the question on how he knew she was at this particular house that night. Her knowledge of the younger man before her, already told her that he had probably tried all three of her houses in search for her.

"We need to fly to Half Moon Bay sooner than the flight Nell has us booked on. We need a private jet to fly us directly into the town's airport." His plead was valid. She knew this. She saw the worry in his eyes.

"You need to recover from your head injury first, Mr Callen. Not flying off to play the hero." She understood where his drive for protecting his family came from. She had done the same with him over his younger years. "Agent Gibbs and Mrs Hanna are quite capable of handling Sidorov's man at their end."

Callen sighed. He was well aware of Gibbs and Michelle's capabilities, but it didn't subside the nerves of worry in his gut. "Hetty!"

"Don't Hetty me, Mr Callen. Do you want to spark a glint on Sidorov's radar and tip off where Quinn is and that your family are still very much alive?" Hetty gave him her Gorgon stare.

"Do you really think you can turn me into stone with that Gorgonian stare, Hetty? Besides, you don't have snakes for hair or wings, so you don't fool me. I know who you really are," he bated her. He had searched her out in amongst his searching for his own identity, for any evidence of Hetty knowing his family more than working with his mother in the CIA. It had been a challenge, but he had found something of interest about the woman who looked over him like a mother would.

"Oh really, Mr Callen. And who exactly am I?" Hetty's eyes widened at the thought that perhaps he did know something about her. Who she really was.

"Definitely not the real Henrietta Lange," Callen revealed. "The real one had red hair and was taller. Until she suddenly went missing back in 1962."

Hetty went to opened her mouth to respond, but chose to quickly close it and said nothing.

"I'm not here to pick your identity apart, Hetty. I'm asking as a friend for your help. Please!" He pleaded with her. He was desperate.

"A friend does not harass me while I am sleeping." She knew he would eventually go elsewhere if she did not help him on his plight.

"You call that sleeping?" He referred to her tossing and turning. "And I thought I was alone in suffering insomnia."

"It wasn't insomnia, Mr Callen. It was a nightmare. Hell playing on my mind with worry about you and our team facing Sidorov again," She admitted to him.

"You too?"

Hetty nodded. "You aren't the only one who worries, Mr Callen. Evil may have many faces, but Isaak Sidorov and Marcell Janvier are the cleverest evil we've encountered in a long time. And the most stubborn. While you may worry about Sam, Michelle and Detective Deeks with regards to Sidorov and your family with Janvier, I worry every time you step out the door of the mission on a case. Now do you have a plan, Mr Callen, or are you winging this one on the case of your heart?"

"I have a plan, Hetty," Callen revealed.

"Oh goody. Now let's get the team together and then you can brief us all. To the mission we go, Mr Callen. I'm driving."

Callen sighed. He was surely to suffer nausea from Hetty's driving her jag, that was a certain.

_**Half Moon Bay**_

Natalie woke from a deep sleep, still riddled in pain from her headache. It had hit her hard at the bakery earlier and it refused to go away, no matter how much pain relief she took. She quietly walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen for a glass of water. She turned the cold tap on and filled her glass half way, before walking to the freezer to add some ice. She hoped the chill from the ice might make her temperature abate, resulting in some relief from the throbbing pain at the back of her head. She searched for a cross stitch needle in a drawer and smiled briefly at the success of her find. She had read how self acupuncture on the spot of pain could alleviate the throbbing and provide relief. She gently pressed the large needle around the area and found it worked.

A noise out back caught her attention. The lights were still out, so she moved slowly towards the window and peeped out. She sighed with relief when she saw it was her father-in-law, Dan and their friend, Melanie Johnson. She watched them with curiosity as to why they were outside in the middle of the night. As they entered the back door, she stayed put to see if she could fulfil her need for answers.

Dan Walker and Melanie Johnson went immediately to the laundry and scrubbed their arms and hands clean. Natalie knew something had happened, but she wasn't prepared for the sight of so much blood on their clothes when she turned the laundry light on.

"What the heck," she breathed out.

"Nat!" Dan and Melanie gave each other looks of concern. "What are you doing awake at this time?" Dan wanted to appease her, but he was covered in another man's blood.

"I think the question should be directed towards the two of you. What the heck have you two been up to?" Natalie crossed her arms over her chest, leaning on the door frame, insistent not to move until she had her answer.

"Business," Dan explained.

"No." She shook her head. "This is not Dan Walker and Melanie Johnson business. This is Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs and CIA officer Quinn business. Now what the heck is going on?" They knew Natalie meant business when she was like this.

"We had to take care of a stranger in town. A not very nice stranger," Melanie tried to calm Natalie down.

"No kidding! Now spill. And don't bother leaving any details out. I'll know if you have." Her patience had returned now that the cool drink and acupuncture had appeared to relieve her for the moment of her headache. She also had the insight of others if they weren't telling the truth. A trait she had inherited from her father.

"Av!" Gibbs' use of her real name caught her off guard. She had tried so hard to remain in her new identity.

"Dad, you're scaring me." Fear of being hunted again grew within her. It had been hard work for all of them to put behind them what had transpired in D.C.

"The Russian behind the attack on Camp David is back in L.A." Melanie and Dan became Gibbs and Michelle again for the sake of Ava's requirement to know about the danger they were all still in, even with Janvier behind bars.

"How do you know this? And what has this got to do with the blood that you're covered in?" Ava creased her brow. "G! Sam!" She looked up them both. "Are they okay?"

Gibbs knew he couldn't hide the truth from his daughter. "Sidorov set a trap. His men knocked them both unconscious, but they are safe now."

"What?" She began to pace the floor. "How bad?"

"Both suffered concussion, but they've been checked out by a doctor. They hope to be here tomorrow sometime." Gibbs had received a text from his friend since he had creeped out of the hospital to advise him of his plan.

"How bad?" she asked again. She knew something wasn't right the moment her headache kicked in. "Was he hurt badly on the back of his head?"

"Yes," Michelle replied. "How did you know?"

"Ava feels it." Gibbs told Michelle. "When Callen was shot a few years back, Matt thought she was having a heart attack. It wasn't until I called to tell them that Callen had been shot, that Matt realised how strong her connection with Callen was."

"I can't explain it," Ava tried to explain to Michelle. "But when he's hurt, I know instantly. I should have put the two together yesterday, when this throbbing headache wouldn't let up."

"Don't worry, Ava, I get it. You and Callen have a close bond, even though you've been apart for such a long time. A connection that a lot of people don't get. How's your head now?" Michelle asked curiously.

"I've applied acupuncture. It's feeling better for the moment. Thanks. That's why I am awake. Now please explain what the two of you have been up to?"

"Sidorov wants Quinn. He knows I'm an agent, but he hasn't worked out I'm Sam's wife. Not yet anyway. He now know's Sam's real name, which we think Janvier has told him. But he's wondering why I was with the President's family at Camp David. He's threatened to kill Gibbs here in Half Moon Bay if Sam doesn't deliver Quinn to him by sixteen hundred hours today," Michelle went on to explain. "Gibbs saw this man in the bakery this afternoon, so we went and paid him a visit and finished him up good."

"Sidorov had a man here in town? In my bakery? Crap!" Ava's worry increased.

"Not anymore, Av. He's gone for good," Gibbs reassured his daughter.

"What if he sends another and so on? Are you just going to keep killing them all?" She struggled to remain calm and keep her voice low.

"Callen has a plan to end Sidorov for good. It's going to be a tough one, but it'll work. He wants Quinn. Sam is going to deliver Quinn to him in San Francisco," Michelle revealed.

"What? No! But your Quinn..."

"Av, it's alright. We know what we're doing. You just continue your usual day here in town...Shit!"

"Pardon?" Ava raised her brow towards her father who had sworn.

"A friend of yours was in the bakery yesterday. She recognised me, but I threw her off saying I didn't know who she was," Gibbs explained.

"Who?" She suddenly felt nauseas. They had felt safe in Half Moon Bay. But not now. Chaos had returned to their lives once more.

"Pretty blonde, dark haired husband, two kids. Saw them at your fake funeral. Has a southern twang in her voice..."

"Karen? You've seen Karen, John, Mitch and Joey?" Excitement rippled through her at seeing her closest friend. "Did she see Tom? She knew he had a shift yesterday..."

"I rang here and told Tom to stay at home. Jesse and Kelly stayed at some friends, the O'Reilly's," Gibbs informed her.

Ava was relieved, but also disappointed. So close in seeing her friends again. "So you want us to remain hidden until they've gone then?" Her excitement abated, as reality sunk in at the importance of not allowing to be seen by them.

"No. They may have only been passing through. I never saw them again after leaving the bakery. With your hair colour lightened, there is hope she won't recognise you. You all need to continue on normally, while Callen, Sam and their team deal with Sidorov and his men." He looked over at Michelle. "Are you sure you are okay with this plan? I'll be close by with my sniper rifle to protect you at all times."

Michelle nodded. "I've never backed away from any of Callen's plans yet." She hoped it worked. They needed Sidorov gone out of their lives for good. No more looking over their shoulders for the Russian or any of his men.

"You'll both need a shower and clean clothes." Ava shook her head. "I have no idea how you can do what you do for a living."

_**Office of Special Projects**_

Eric and Nell sat typing away at their computer stations in the Ops Centre as they waited on Kensi and Deeks to arrive.

Sam had walked in a few minutes earlier to the bull pen and virtually forced two tablets down Callen's throat, much to Hetty's amusement. "You're my partner, not my mother, Sam. We've been through this before."

"And when are you going to take notice, G, that you could do with a mother." Sam nodded over to Hetty as she sipped on her tea, trying hard to control her amusement to it all. "Anyway, I thought we were brothers. This is what family do for each other, G. Look out for one another. Not sneaking out of hospitals while their partner is sleeping." He let slip just how hurt he was by Callen's disappearing act from the hospital, leaving him to pick up the pieces with nurse Doris.

"You looked peaceful, like a baby," he jested. "I can see why Michelle sees you so adorable." Callen was known for throwing the subject off himself.

"Watch it, G," Sam threatened. "I will throw you to the wolves if you don't shut up."

"Now now, boys." Deeks walked into the bull pen, amused hearing Sam threaten Callen. It made him feel better that he was not the only one at the other end of Sam's wrath. Mind you Sam had laid off teasing him since he had saved Sam and Michelle's lives. Yet it was Callen that he had found to be somewhat distant towards him since returning to the team. He couldn't find the reason behind it, other than the fact that Callen felt threatened by him with Sam. It was the only thing that had made sense. "How come you two are here and not in hospital resting from your head injuries?"

"Hey, Deeks!" Sam greeted the shaggy blond detective. "Kensi coming?"

"I'm here." Kensi frowned as she saw Callen picking the back of his head. "Don't do it, Callen."

Callen looked over at the brunette and gave her a 'what?' look. He ignored the comments being thrown at his touching of his wound. "Now you're all here, I need to brief you up in Ops."

Sam, Deeks and Kensi gave each other looks at wonderment how Callen could go from injured agent to being back in control of the situation and bossing them around. They said nothing, but followed him up the stairs. Hetty moved quietly behind them and stood at the rear as she listened to Callen reveal his plan to the team.


	4. Chapter 4

**Half Moon Bay**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

_**Los Angeles**_

Callen stood in front of the digital table in the middle of the Ops Centre, with his team gathered around him. Their expectant faces gazed on him, as he revealed his plan to them. Hetty stood opposite him at the far end, observing.

"Sam and I will fly on the arranged domestic flight later this morning to San Francisco. We will send a tip through to Sidorov of our departure, to lure him to follow. He wants Quinn, so Sam is going to deliver on his request."

"How are you going to send a tip through to him?" Kensi inquired.

"Arkady," Callen confirmed.

"I thought we didn't heed to terrorists?" Deeks could not believe that Callen's plan was to do this.

"It's the best way to make him think he's getting what he wants, Deeks. But it will be a trap." Callen explained further. "Gibbs will be on a roof top constantly watching Michelle's back. He will be situated with a sniper rifle ready to shoot Sidorov when he's about to take Quinn from Sam. I'll have Sam's back."

"That's it? I thought we were a team. Kensi and I should be there to back them up too. I know you don't want me on this team, Callen, but this is so wrong." Deeks had had enough of feeling less than adequate on the team.

Callen's body tensed as he looked over to the detective. Blue eyes met blue eyes, like a Mexican standoff. Kensi could feel the electricity in the room intensify. She looked to Sam in hope that he would sort them out before one or both of them got hurt. Sam looked to Hetty who only shook her head.

Callen noticed the looks of his team. He averted his gaze and exited the room and ran down the stairs. He needed to get his head on straight. His head continued to pound, not helping his cause for focusing on the task at hand. But what he didn't expect, was for the detective to follow him and verbally attack him head on.

"This is not going to work if we don't work as a team, Callen. You are not alone in this fight with Sidorov. We've all suffered at the hands of this man..."

"You don't get it do you, Deeks?" Callen interjected. "This is not about me not wanting you on this team. It never has been."

"What?" Deeks looked at their team leader confused. "But you told me very clearly that you didn't want me here..."

"Obviously not clear enough," Callen snapped back. He shook his head. "You spend too much time talking, that you never see the big picture."

"Look, I know I talk far more than you and Sam put together, but I observe things too, you know. This talking, it's part of my cover..."

"I never meant for you to think I never wanted you here on the team. If I didn't want you here, Deeks, you would never have been here in the first place," Callen told Deeks plainly.

"But I thought you didn't trust me?" Deeks was trying to figure the man out before him. He was as much of a mystery as their Operations Manager.

"Don't you see it, Deeks? I have far more in common with you than I do with anyone else in this building. You are the closest person here who understands what I've been through," Callen admitted. "And you proved your worth a long time ago when you saved my butt from those Iraqis when we had to rescue Kensi." Deeks thought back to before he worked full time for the team. It was his second case with NCIS team.

"I don't understand. Why did you say you didn't want me here then?" Deeks asked him. He had misjudged the man before him badly.

"Not if you didn't want to be here, or if you weren't ready after what happened with Sidorov..."

"Oh, so that's why I'm being sidelined," Deeks analysed.

Callen shook his head. "I can't have you go through it again, Deeks. Sidorov won't let you live this time if he sees you again. I can't let it happen again."

Hetty observed the two men from the balcony, intrigued of what was transpiring below. Finally Callen was breaking his walls down to the detective.

Deeks stood dumbfounded from Callen's confession. He had admitted his true feelings of what he felt for him.

Callen felt awkward under Deeks' gaze. "It was my decision to bring Janvier back to the U.S. I hold full responsibility for what happened to you, Sam, Matt, Ava, our kids...and what is about to happen. It this goes wrong, it will be my head alone on the chopping block."

"This is where you're wrong, Callen." Deeks tried to find his voice again and argue his point across. "We're a team. We go together."

"No."

Deeks became frustrated under Callen's stubbornness to refuse his and Kensi's help.

"I need you and Kensi to fly on a private jet into Half Moon Bay, undetected. To keep Ava and the kids safe, while we deal with Sidorov. This includes Sam and Michelle's daughter as well."

"What?" Disbelief appeared on Deeks' face. "You...you want Kensi and I to protect your's and Sam's families?" Callen's words sunk in.

"Yes! I need people I can trust. Depend on." Hetty smiled as she saw the two men resolve their misunderstanding. That is how she had seen it from the beginning. She was always right. It just needed her team leader to break his walls down and allow Deeks into his inner sanctum.

Deeks was speechless. Instead he moved forward and gave Callen a hug. He felt accepted, finally. A place to call his home. A family who he belonged to. He felt Callen stiffen in his embrace, but he knew it was because he struggled to show his emotions to others. "Thanks, Callen. We won't let you or Sam down," he finally said, his voice choked with emotion.

Kensi and Sam joined Hetty to see Deeks hug Callen. "What happened?" Kensi asked her, surprised at what she saw. She was expecting a fist fight with blood and bruises. Not a hug.

"Mr Callen broke his walls down to Mr Deeks and confessed his true feelings towards him," Hetty told them with mist in her eyes.

"What, our G?" Sam inquired. "He must have been hit harder than we thought." Sam chuckled over the mysteries of his partner. "He is ready for this op isn't he, Hetty?" Sam's worry for his partner suddenly returned. He worried for his wife and his partner, but he was glad Gibbs was already in place for extra backup.

"You know your partner better than anyone, Mr Hanna. He'll see this through to the end. Just make sure he doesn't die in the process, will you?" Hetty looked to her other senior agent. "He needs to survive this. We all do." The toll from the trauma Sidorov and Janvier had placed on the team, showed on the ageing woman.

"I'll have his back, Hetty. I always do," Sam ensured her.

"I don't doubt that, Mr Hanna. But this is going to be a hard one for you. A decision may have to be made on who you are going to save. Your partner or your wife. Just remember that Agent Gibbs is there to back up your wife. Work as a team," Hetty stressed.

Sam nodded. This operation had become too personal a long time ago. "We'll end Sidorov, Hetty. It needs to happen today. This cannot go on like this any longer."

"That I agree with you, Mr Hanna. Remember you have the President's approval to shoot to kill on this one." Sam smiled as he thought over the advantages of having one's sister married to the President of the United States. However he was well aware that the situation that occurred at Camp David the year before was the only reason why Deion had given his approval for the shoot to kill of Isaak Sidorov and his men.

"Yes, Hetty." He walked down the stairs to rescue his partner from a very appreciative Marty Deeks.

_**San Francisco**_

The plan had been initiated cleanly. Sidorov took the bait and followed them up to the city of San Francisco. Sam and Callen waited in position to where they had prearranged with Gibbs, for Quinn. Callen hid his amusement as Michelle transformed into CIA operative Quinn in her masquerade for Isaak Sidorov. He knew Sam struggled with her performance as she played so friendly with the Russian Arms Dealer.

"David." Quinn greeted her partner, pretending she had no idea he was Federal Agent Sam Hanna. "What are you doing up here? It's not that I'm not happy to see you, I was working on a job for a client when you called." She looked at Callen. "Whose your friend?" She smiled sweetly at Callen. "Aren't you a gorgeous one, with those sapphire blue eyes?"

Gibbs controlled his amusement, knowing how awkward Callen was feeling at that moment.

"Is she for real?" Callen asked his partner. "She's Quinn? The one that Russian wants?" Gibbs was impressed how smooth Callen was in his role. It was imperative for Michelle's safety that Callen showed no recognition towards her. They knew Sidorov was nearby watching.

"Isaak is here?" Quinn asked surprised. "What does he want this time? Another job?"

"No you," Sam replied.

A sound of clapping was heard from their left as Isaak Sidorov made his appearance with four of his men. "Well, well, well. I have to thank you Agent Sam Hanna for making my job so much easier."

"You led me into a trap? You betrayed me?" Anger rippled through Quinn's body as she played dumb.

Quinn took a step back but she was held by Sam, in fear of losing her to Sidorov before Gibbs could take him down.

"You betrayed me, Quinn. You played me well."

"What are you talking about?" Quinn tried her best efforts to appease the Russian. Sam had told her Sidorov knew she was a Federal Agent. But how much did he know?

"A gun for hire. Huh! What a surprise when I discovered someone you had supposedly killed for me suddenly shows up in a small Canadian town, very much alive." Any fondness Sidorov had for Quinn could no longer be seen in his eyes. "I paid you good money, too."

Quinn stood still, eyes wide open as she tried hard to think of the people she had saved from Sidorov by faking their deaths. There were 9 of them all up. Which one had he found and were they still alive? She had done her job well for her government. She had been the only agent to successfully infiltrate this paranoid arms dealer's group.

"So I decided to do my own research on you, Quinn. I had a man follow you, and what a surprise to find you living the American Dream in a suburban Los Angeles home with your husband and two children."

Fear rippled through Sam and Michelle's bodies as their nightmare worsened. "I have some men in Half Moon Bay as we speak to sort out the mess you and Agent Gibbs left last night with my other man. What? You think I would not keep tabs on you, Mrs Hanna?" Sidorov displayed a frighteningly calculating amused look on his face.

"Callen, I need the word and I'll shoot," Gibbs spoke through his comms. All of them feared the danger their children and grandchildren were now in, while they sat as sitting ducks beside Isaak Sidorov.

"How's the head, Agent Callen? Still throbbing?" Isaak mocked him. He turned to Quinn. "I then had someone follow you to Washington D.C. What a surprise to find you are related to the First Family. Did you think you could return to your normal life and not be found out?"

"My head is fine," Callen stated. He appeared to not care about the threat on Sam and Michelle, but the fact was, he used his code word 'Head' to signal to Gibbs to fire.

Gibbs pulled the lever and fired one, two, three, four, five shots out simultaneously at Isaak Sidorov and his men. The look on Sidorov's face of disbelief as the bullet ripped into his flesh, slicing into his heart, would stay ingrained in Michelle and Sam's memories till the day they died. Finally after ten years, they were safe from the paranoid Russian Arms Dealer. All five Russians fell to the ground. Callen moved to kick their guns away from them and checked for a pulse. He stood up and turned to where Gibbs was situated. "Thanks, Jethro." A smirk appeared on his face as their take down of the Russians went smoother than they anticipated. But his relief was short lived however, as he dialled Deeks' phone.

_**Half Moon Bay**_

"Callen, we're under attack. There are four, I say four men firing at the bakery. We need back up stat," Deeks shouted over the heavy gunfire. Locals ran for cover, away from the bakery. Customers screamed and laid low to the floor as Deeks and Kensi urged them to crawl to the rear of the store. Deeks heard Ava cry out in pain. He turned and saw a bullet rip into her flesh on her side, just above her waist. 'Crap!' "Eric, we need an ambulance. Natalie's been shot." He wanted to keep Ava's real identity hidden.

"One on it's way, Deeks." Eric advised him through their comms. He looked worriedly to Hetty. He hoped Ava would be okay. He knew what it would do to Gibbs and Callen if she didn't make it.

"Talk to me, Deeks." Callen asked on the phone. He'd heard what he had told Eric. Callen motioned to Sam and Michelle that they needed to move fast. Gibbs quickly joined them with the car, ready to go immediately.

"Kensi moved over to Ava and applied pressure on her wound. "Stay still, Nat." She grabbed a dish towel and pushed it firmly onto the wound.

Sandra moved low to the ground closer to her friend. "What can I do to help?"

"Place all your pressure on the wound," Kensi told her. "I need to help Deeks."

"Sandra..." Natalie tried to speak as her strength waned.

"Don't talk, Nat, help is on it's way."

Natalie gripped her friend's arm, desperate to tell her friend the truth.

"Shh! Save your energy to stay with me, Nat."

Kensi and Deeks moved low towards the front of the bakery. Kensi covered Deeks as he moved to the door and fired towards the Russians who stood outside the store firing automatic weapons.

Sandra watched them move like pros. She was aware they were friends of Jake's, as she had seen them and another blond guy teach Natalie and her kids how to surf. "Who are they, Nat? Why is this happening? First the mutilated body found by the marina last night and now this? What's happening to our quiet town?" Sandra never expected Natalie to answer her but she said her questions out loud to her friend any how.

"They're to protect us from these Russians," Natalie replied, her voice rasping.

Sandra looked down at her friend with a bewildered look on her face. "Why are Russians after you, Nat?" Fear flowed through her body for her friend and children.

"An enemy of Jake's. He killed my husband and they tried to kill us," Natalie admitted. She felt too weak to go on any further. Breathing became a struggle as sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Stay with me, Nat," Sandra pleaded.

Ryan moved closer towards them after ensuring his sisters, brother and Eden were safe in the basement. "Mom!" He worried over her as he saw the blood on Sandra's hands. He looked over to where Deeks and Kensi were firing back at the Russians outside. "Where's Dad? He should be here."

Natalie shook her head at her son. She couldn't muster the strength to speak any more. It took all she had to take each breath.

Sandra looked between mother and son and knew there was something missing. "Who are you talking about, Ryan?"

Ryan mentally slapped himself for being careless. Heck, it no longer mattered. They had been found. "Jake's not my uncle, Sandra. He's mine and Lexis' dad. Grandpa is really Mom's dad," he admitted to her.

"Then whose buried in the cemetery?" Sandra inquired, confused.

"Zac and Mia's dad." Ryan ripped his plaid shirt off his back and moved to his mom's wound. "We need a fresh pressure pad. If we can get some ice out of the freezer..."

Sandra followed Ryan's gaze towards the kitchen. "It's too risky, Ryan."

Stubborn like his father, Ryan moved quickly, but staying low to the floor and rushed into the kitchen. The sirens were coming closer, but whilst the Russians were still alive, there was no hope in help coming for his mom. He needed to slow the bleeding or she would die. And there was no way he was going to let his dad down by letting her die on his watch. He opened the freezer and grabbed some ice in a bag. He froze as he saw something metal catch his eyes. He moved his hand to the bottom of the deep freezer and pulled at the object. He couldn't believe his luck. A hand gun. A Sig Sauer P224 to be precise. Dad must have hidden it in here for an emergency, he thought to himself. He checked for the clip. Of course they wouldn't be in here. They would freeze over. He rummaged through nearby cupboards and found a clip with eleven rounds of 9mm bullets. He grabbed a second clip for back up. A smirk crept onto his face as he clipped it in, placing it in the rear of his jeans and moved back into the main area of the bakery, carrying the bag of ice. "Apply this, Sandra. It will stop the bleeding."

Sandra gratefully accepted the ice, but furrowed her brow as she watched Ryan pull the hand gun out from his lower back and make his way to a near by window. He smashed the window with the butt of the gun and fired at the Russians. Two still remained alive, after Deeks and Kensi had killed the other two. He fired again, keeping count of how many he had left. A habit his grandpa had taught him. "Got him," he said loud enough for Sandra to look up and shake her head. Ryan had hit one of the assailants in the shoulder. Deeks shot at him also, sending the Russian to the ground. Kensi fired the fatal shot at him. Deeks and Kensi turned and saw Ryan give them his father's trademark smirk.

Deeks shook his head in disbelief. Like father, like son, he thought.

Ryan, Deeks and Kensi ganged up on the remaining man of Sidorov's. All three played a game of attack with him, tempting him to come out from his hiding place to surrender or die. As Ryan shot, Deek would shoot, then Kensi and so on. Never giving a space to fire. But he was arrogant and moved slightly out of his hiding spot behind a car, giving Ryan the opportunity to shoot him in the torso. "Arrogant bastard," Ryan said quietly to himself, as he shot him down.

Deeks and Kensi moved out of the store and fired too. Deeks kicked his weapon away as Kensi checked for a pulse. She shook her head. Now that it was safe, they moved swiftly amongst the other men of Sidorov's to ensure they were dead as well. Satisfied, she motioned for the paramedics to move in.

"GSW victim inside the bakery," Kensi advised them. "Female, early forties. Bullet through and through on her left side." Kensi followed them into where Sandra remained with Natalie. Ryan had returned and held his mom's hand, talking to her. "Helps here, Mom. You're going to be okay now." He had no idea where his strength came from, as he felt all shaky inside from the adrenalin that shook within him from helping Deeks and Kensi kill two men.

Two paramedics assessed Natalie before gently placing her onto the stretcher. One held firmly onto the ice pack and pressure pad. "Who came up with the bag of ice idea?" One paramedic asked, looking at Sandra. Sandra looked over to Ryan who remained by his mom. "Good thinking, son. You may have just saved her life."

A car screeched outside, doors slammed shut as Callen, Gibbs, Sam and Michelle ran inside the bakery, blown away by the devastation they faced. "Av!" Callen moved towards her on the stretcher. He assessed her condition. "How bad?" All he could see was blood. Ava's blood. All colour left his face as he realised just how badly Ava had been injured.

"I'm sorry, sir. We've got to move her now." Callen nodded. Sam and Michelle moved towards the back to find their daughter and the Walker children in the basement. Relief washed over them to see them safe. "Mom! Dad!" Kamran hugged her parents. Lexi, Zac and Mia climbed up the stairs to see their mom being led out by stretcher to the ambulance. They hugged each other from fear.

Callen stood back as the paramedics wheeled the stretcher out front and into the ambulance. "I'll go with her," Callen told Gibbs. "Jethro?" He inquired to him when he received no response. Callen saw the fear in his old friend's eyes.

Gibbs gripped Callen's arm. "I need to go with her."

Callen nodded when he realised he would have to let him go instead. Gibbs had already lost a wife and daughter. There was no way he was letting Ava go this time.

Callen saw Tom standing there with blood over his T-shirt and arms. But it was the sig in his hands that had him curious. "Where.."

"Freezer," Tom told his dad. "I found the clips in the cupboards."

Callen pulled Tom in close for a hug. His son had done him proud again. "You got the ice?"

Tom nodded.

Callen felt his son shake. He removed the sig from him and inspected the clip. "You fired a whole clip?" He asked, clearly impressed over his son's courage.

"He helped us kill the last two of Sidorov's men." Deeks entered the store, while Kensi continued briefing the local Sheriff and his men. "You're a mean shot there, Ryan. Make sure I never get on your wrong side." He turned to Callen. "He made you proud today, Callen." Deeks braced himself for Callen to yell at him. But none came. "I'm sorry I let you down today, Callen. We were out numbered. I thought she was out of range. Safe..."

"I don't blame you, Deeks. You and Kens did well. Thanks," Callen told him. His voice wavered with emotion. How the heck any of them survived this massacre, he had no idea. "If you hand't been here..."

"Dad!" Bronte didn't care if people found out who they really were now. Not after all of this. How could they not explain what had happened to their bakery? She ran over into his arms.

"Hey, Bron." He pressed his lips onto her forehead, thankful they were safe. He looked over to Jessie and Kelly, who stood back, fear clear as day displayed in their eyes. "Jesse, Kel. Let's go to the hospital to wait with your grandpa." It seemed pointless to worry about their identities anymore. They had been through hell. They needed him to be their dad. Even to Jesse and Kelly. He was the closest thing they had to a dad, since losing their own the year before.

"Jake?" Sandra needed some answers. She was shell shocked over all that had happened there that day.

Callen turned to the red head, who he was well aware Gibbs was attracted to. "Sandra. Do you want to come with us?"

She nodded. She felt like a zombie as she followed them out the door to the waiting SUV Gibbs had arrived in with them.

"Agent Callen." A fellow NCIS Agent from the San Francisco office had arrived to help. "Is everyone okay!" He had been told there had been one injured.

Callen turned to Agent Steve Kearney. "Agent Gibbs' daughter Ava was shot in the torso. We're going to wait for news at the hospital."

Kearney looked from Callen to Tom and then to Bronte. "These your kids, Callen?"

"Yes, they are. It's their mom who was shot." Callen swallowed the bile that threatened to bring back his nausea. His head pounded and he felt dizzy. He threw the keys to Tom. "I need you to drive. I've been banned by the doc for a few days."

Sam noticed his partner struggle to function. "Hey, G!" Sam walked up to him. "Are you okay?" He studied his pupils. "Tom, I'll drive. You've been through enough today already." Sam wanted to ensure Callen was seen to at the hospital.

Relieved, Tom gladly threw the car keys across to his dad's partner. But he worried about his dad. He had noticed Sam's concern over him. As his dad turned away from him, he saw the head injury. "Whoa dad! What happened to you?"

Callen turned to face his son. "It's nothing."

"Like hell," Tom turned to Sam. "What happened to him, Sam?"

Callen glared at his partner, shaking his head, which increased the pain he felt.

"Concussion. Happened yesterday. Let's go and see how your mom is," Sam urged, as he knew Callen needed to be seen to pretty soon. "Have you had your pills?"

Begrudgingly, Callen pulled the pills out of his pocket and dry swallowed two tablets. "Happy?" He quipped.

"I will be once you've been seen to again. What are we going to do with you, G?" Sam shook his head. "Your kids and Ava need you. Heck, even I need you."

Callen raised his brow over at his partner. "Careful, Sam. Remember you're not my mother."

"I promised Hetty I would have your back, G. I'm not backing down." Callen rested is head back on the head rest and drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Half Moon Bay**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

_**Moss Beach**_

"G!" Sam looked over at his partner and dear friend worryingly when he got no response.

Tom picked up on the concern in Sam's voice as his pitch raised. "Dad!" Tom pushed his dad's arm. "For someone who hardly sleeps, you're freaking me out right now, Dad. Please wake up."

"We're here." Sam pulled up out front while Tom ran inside for assistance.

"My Dad won't wake up. Please someone help him." A doctor and some nurses followed Tom out with a gurney.

Sandra climbed out of the SUV with the kids and stood to the side as they watched Sam try to get Callen to wake up.

Bronte pushed forward. "Dad!" She shook him.

"Stand back. Can you tell me what happened?" The young doctor in his early thirties looked to Sam before assessing Callen.

"Head trauma sustained yesterday. He was admitted to Cedar-Sinai Medical Centre where he was given morphine for the pain and head scans were taken. He self checked himself early hours this morning," Sam advised the doctor.

"Self checked himself out?" The doctor frowned, unimpressed.

"He doesn't like hospitals. Plus he was worried about his family." Sam looked over at the four scared children. "Their mom's just been admitted with a gunshot wound," he added. "We were on our way here to wait to see how she was, when he fell unconscious. These are his meds given to him by the doctor at Cedar-Sinai Medical Centre." Sam handed the small container of tablets.

"When was the last time he took these?" Dr Schmidt asked him.

"In the car, just as we left Half Moon Bay," Sam informed him. "He fell asleep soon after."

Dr Schmidt noticed Sam's Federal Agent badge clipped in his belt loop. "Is he a Federal Agent too?"

Sam nodded. "Please help him."

Dr Schmidt lifted Callen's eyelids up and placed his small torch light into his pupil. He frown as he saw them not only unresponsive with the pupil remaining dilated, but the white section, known as the sclera, was cloudy as well. "Does your partner have any enemies that would want him dead?"

"In our line of business, doc, the list runs deep. It was an enemy who gave him the concussion yesterday." Sam was becoming impatient with the doctor, who had yet showed any indication in moving Callen inside the facility to have him treated.

"Any one in particular who would drug him, to slowly kill him?" Dr Schmidt had seen a similar case to the one before him, five years earlier.

Sam's eyes widened as the thought of Marcel Janvier entered his mind. "Yes, but he's in a maximum prison with only one hour a day out of his cell and no visitors are allowed."

"Are these the only meds he's been on?" Sam nodded. "Has he eaten anything that was different to you in the past twenty-four hours?

"You think he's been poisoned with these?" Guilt engulfed the former Navy SEAL as he thought of the times he had practically forced the tiny tablets down his partner's throat. "He has only eaten on the plane up here this morning. There's no way anyone would know what he would have eaten and I don't feel any effects of anything in my system."

"I'll have my Laboratory Technicians test these tablets and take blood and urine samples immediately." Sam helped the doctor remove Callen's limp body from the SUV and onto the gurney.

Sam, Sandra and the kids followed close by into the emergency entrance to Seton Coastside Medical Centre at Moss Beach, seven miles north of Half Moon Bay. Although small, it has the support of nearby San Francisco General and Stanford Hospital for transfer of it's severe cases, by road or air. They feared both Ava and Callen's conditions were too severe for the small seaside town's Medical Centre and both would require transfer, holding up their necessary treatment even further.

Sandra found Dan Walker, known to everyone else as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, sitting alone waiting for news on his daughter. It fragmented pieces from her heart to see the pain the man she had feelings for in his eyes. She sat silently down beside him, aware of his need to sit in peace. It was a trait she had observed in the older man, who had started to let his walls down around his heart with her. Gibbs turned expecting to see Callen and frowned. "Where's Callen?" He asked, forgetting who he was with. Worry had consumed any sense he normally possessed.

"You mean Jake?" Sandra had heard the NCIS Agent address Jake as Agent Callen prior to leaving half Moon Bay. Pieces to a confused jigsaw puzzle remained to the side waiting for someone to explain the picture to her, so she could put the pieces together.

Gibbs mentally head slapped himself. An action he would have done to his team, had they slipped up an alias in front of an outsider. For that was what Sandra Levitt really was to the rest of them, no matter how close she bonded with them, she had been left outside the circle of trust. "I'm sorry, Sandy, for not telling the truth." He swallowed hard as his body craved water to subdue the thirst he now felt. "I'm not really Dan Walker. It's an alias, to keep my daughter and her children safe."

Sandra remained still, patiently waiting for the man beside her to tell her the truth. "Callen is not my son either. Natalie...Ava. She's my daughter. I was young when she came along. Still in high school. An enemy of Callen's killed Ava's husband last year and tried to kill Ava and her kids. The man is locked up in South Carolina. But Callen's boss orchestrated a plan to make this man think he had actually conceded his plan to kill them. We had to hide them for their safety, but another enemy found me and now they aren't even safe here anymore. Callen and I hid them for years even from our colleagues. We've built up a very long list of enemies in our job. They only found out about them last year." Gibbs shook his head. "I can't lose Ava as well. Not after..." His voice was hoarse and he really needed a drink. He noticed a water dispenser on the other side of the waiting room. He rose and walked over, scanning the room. He noticed Sam in amongst his grandchildren and began to worry.

Sam looked up and saw the distress in the former Gunnery Sergeant's blue eyes. He stood and walked over to him, understanding the worry he was going through over his daughter. He needed Callen, that was obvious, but no one had told him yet of what had happened to his partner.

"Where's Callen?" He had asked Sandra, but she hadn't answer him. He saw fear in Sam's eyes, his heart pounded heavily in his chest as he waited for his answer.

"Sit down, Gibbs." Sam indicated to him to the seat beside him. After he was situated, Sam joined him. "The doc thinks G's been poisoned."

Gibbs frowned, as confusion covered his face.

"G fell unconscious on the way here. The doctor's doing tests to see if someone tampered with his meds." Sam rested his hand on his shoulder. "He's one tough and stubborn bastard, our Callen. You just worry about Ava. Let me do the worrying about G, okay?" He studied Gibbs and remained where he was until he saw Gibbs nod, acknowledging what he had told him.

"You've been good for Callen, Sam. Thank you for being there for him, when I couldn't." Gibbs rose and walked over to his grandchildren, who greeted him with tears and hugs. Together they sat as they waited to hear, they hoped for some good news on Ava and Callen.

Two hours passed by, nothing was heard from behind the doors. The family and friends increased in numbers, as Deeks and Kensi joined them. Sandra joined Gibbs and his grandchildren, trying hard to ease their pain, while Deeks and Kensi tried hard to support Sam as he sat with guilt residing heavily on his shoulders, and concern in his eyes over his partner.

Finally after three hours, Dr Schmidt walked through the doors towards Sam. "We've managed to find the source of the poison. Traces of cyanide has been found in the tablets you gave me. I suggest you get your people to check video surveillance at Cedar-Sinai Medical Centre to see if anyone was seen tampering with them. We've started treating your partner with Hydroxocobalamin to stop the poison from doing any more damage, and Sodium thiosulfate mixed with sodium nitrate to convert the cyanide for his body to excrete it naturally. Once he has settled, we will air lift him to Stanford Hospital, where he can be monitored more closely. You were lucky you arrived when you did. Any longer, we might not have saved him."

Sam nodded and thanked the doctor. He sat alone, feeling again that he had failed Callen. He was supposed to have his back, not aide in poisoning him. He looked up and saw Kensi on the phone, he assumed to Hetty to apprise her of the situation. He knew their Operations Manager would not take this news easily and blame herself for not overseeing his care the day before. He made a promise to himself there and then, that no matter how bad his partner was injured in the future, he would not force any pills into his mouth. He understood now Callen's paranoia in suspecting the worse from everyone. If only he had listened to his partner's pleas to not take the pills.

"Eric's tapping into video surveillance from Cedar-Sinai Medical Centre to see if anyone looks suspicious. Hetty's informed me that Janvier has had no visitors since he's been in custody. Every employee of the maximum facility has had their background checked. So far, no one has popped up. Hetty has someone inside the facility to ensure Janvier hasn't had the opportunity to organise this latest poisoning of Callen," Kensi advised him.

"It has to be him, Kens. Janvier has made it very clear his intentions. He's above your normal criminal Kens. He's psychotic and brilliant. The worse combination," Sam huffed out.

Kensi's cell beeped. "Hi, Hetty..." All colour left Kensi's face as she listened to their boss. "U-huh!" Kensi slid down the wall to the floor.

"Kens, what is it?" Deeks and Sam moved down towards her, concerned.

"Janvier. He's masked an escape from his jail cell. Hetty's inside person has just phoned her. He killed a guard and took on his identity. H just walked out the front gates. Video surveillance put him leaving about an hour ago. Eric's checking all flights out of the area to see where he's gone." She looked from Sam to Deeks. Thoughts of the trauma the two men in front of her had been subjected to because of this man, still haunted her dreams. "Callen's never going to be safe until Janvier is dead." Anger ripped into her voice as she spoke.

"Crap!" Deeks stood up and stretched his back and legs from bending over Kensi. He had thought of ways himself he would like to personally kill the psychotic killer, who played chess with peoples' lives. The three of them almost perished in a ball of fire, set up by him a few years back. Thanks to Callen's sharp intellect, he caught onto the danger and sent a warning through to them, just in time. "Callen needs protection," Deeks realised. "And his family."

"We don't know if Janvier knows they are still alive, Deeks. Their identities could still be safe. We'll just have to place some agents undercover in the town until we find and kill Janvier ourselves," Sam advised them.

"I agree with Sam. Callen needs to be sent far away from his family to ensure they are safe. He needs a new identity until we lure Janvier out and kill him," Kensi added.

"He's not going to like it," Sam told them, but he liked the plan Kensi had come up with.

"We need to move as soon as the doctor says he's up to being moved. If they move him by helicopter, we can arrange for another location, further away from here." Sam and Deeks nodded in agreement.

Sam walked over to Gibbs, who appeared on the edge of a very narrow cliff, as he waited for news on Ava. "Gibbs, I need to talk with you for a moment."

Gibbs walked with Sam to a quiet part of the waiting room and listened to their plan. "He won't like it, Sam. But it has to be done. I'll remain in Half Moon Bay to ensure no one comes to hurt them again."

Sam nodded in agreement. "I'll let Hetty know."

As Sam and Gibbs separated, another doctor, an older man, still in scrubs, walked through the door. "Family of Natalie Walker?" All eyes went to Gibbs as he walked towards the surgeon.

"I'm her father," Gibbs told him.

Michael Slater, head surgeon of the small town medical centre looked exhausted, but pleased. "I have good news for your, sir. Your daughter has come through surgery and she's in a stabilised condition. She lost a lot of blood, but thanks to one smart person, the bag of ice stopped any further bleeding. They saved her life. We managed to repair the damage from the bullet. She's now in recovery. Once she has been moved into a room, I will have a nurse come and get you."

Gibbs was a man who rarely showed any emotion, however on hearing this good news, he was choked with gratitude to the surgeon and for Tom, who had thought well in saving Ava's life. He thanked the surgeon and was greeted by his grandchildren who hugged him amongst their own tears of joy and relief.

Smiles appeared on all their faces and chatter picked up again amongst them all. Finally some good news. But the mood was short lived as Dr Schmidt walked back out and spoke to Sam. "Your partner is running a temperature and he still hasn't regained consciousness. I've been in contact with my colleagues at Stanford Hospital. They are sending a helicopter to pick him up. I'm sorry, but there's nothing else we can do for him here. We really aren't equipped for this sort of issue."

"Thanks, doc. I'll let our superiors know. We need to send someone with him for protection. The person who we believe is behind the poisoning, has escaped from his cell. We need to separate him from anyone who he cares about. We also need to ensure all these medical records are placed under a new identity. It's for his and his family's protection. An NCIS Agent from San Francisco will be here in a few moments to go with him." Sam spoke low, he didn't want to cause concern for his children. They had gone through enough already. "My team and I have to head back to L.A., where we believe this man will make his way. We believe we wants confirmation my partner is dead."

Dr Schmidt looked between the Federal Agents and the family nearby. He could see the family resemblance between his patient and the two older children. He understood immediately the sensitivity of the situation at hand. "You provide me with the information and we will change our records accordingly."

Sam's cell beeped. "Excuse me, doc." Sam answered the call. "What have you got for us, Eric?"

"We've gone in and changed the records for Callen at the Seton Coastside Medical Centre. Let Dr Schmidt know of the details. It's on your phone." Eric gave his partner, Nell, a worrying look. Neither liked losing one of their team like this, to have them go into hiding for their own protection. But while Callen was accessible and Janvier was free, no one was safe. They had heard Hetty shouting over the phone to Director Vance earlier. Clearly this whole mess with Janvier has taken a toll on Hetty as well.

"Thanks, Eric." Sam sighed as he disconnected the call and looked at the message Eric had sent him. He showed the doctor Callen's new credentials. "Our Tech has already changed your records. We just need the identity tag on his wrist and paper charts changed.

Dr Schmidt nodded and left to attend to the pressing need of the situation. He wondered how anyone could possibly choose a life where they were in constant danger. All he had ever wanted to do was help people.


	6. Chapter 6

**Half Moon Bay**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

_**Los Angeles**_

Hetty sat at her desk, chuntering, as she signed reports that had been placed aside while she'd focused on the case at hand. Her HP pencil snapped again, sending wild accusations forth from under her breath. "How dare he threaten me," she grumbled. "After all he's done, he thinks he can waltz into my life again and think I should surrender to him?" She huffed as she stood to resharpen the shrinking pencil she held firmly in her hand. "When will he learn I don't and won't take orders from him. Not after what he pulled in D.C." Her conversation with Leon Vance had gone fairly smoothly, and all was well until Owen Granger phoned her office and demanded an explanation why he had been left out of the loop of a case involving his team and had learned of the incident from the team in San Francisco. Owen had threatened to force her to retire if anything happens like it again. "His team? Since when has my team been his team? He prances in here like a peacock demanding respect but in return treats them all like animals in the zoo. After all I had done to fix things between him and his son...that ungrateful..."

"Hetty?" Nell stood at the entrance to her office, worried over the older woman. "Is everything okay?" She had heard Hetty argue and had thought the Director had been on the other end, but now since she had overheard Hetty's mutterings, she realised it must have been Owen Granger. The man who made Eric, her partner and best friend, feel small and insignificant. He had picked Eric to pieces from the word go about his polar bear pyjamas, which she thought at the time had been out of line, seeing she and Eric had rushed into the mission thinking Hetty had been kidnapped for real. To Owen's amusement, he had caused a flurry of activity so he could see the team perform. He didn't care that the team were in the middle of an active case, he forced their hands under a false pretence just so he could watch Callen, Sam, Kensi and Deeks rescue Hetty from him at the boat shed. He had started with them all on the wrong foot, and he continued to ridicule them continuously ever since. But never had she seen Hetty so angry due to the Assistant Director, other than what he had done to Callen and Gibbs the year before in D.C. That appeared to have been a turning point for their Operations Manager. "What's Granger done now?"

"Oh it's just dandy, Miss Jones. Assistant Director Granger has threatened to force me into retirement if we keep him out of any future operations. He has acquired knowledge of the situation in Half Moon Bay through the San Francisco office and is almost at the medical centre as we speak." Hetty sighed. She really needed another cup of tea. She rose from her seat and found her rose covered tea pot she had been given as a gift from Princess Grace of Monaco back in 1980, two years before she was tragically killed in a car accident. They had become friends when she was working for the CIA, helping the Royal couple with their security from threats made to them from Iran. She had fond memories of her time in Monaco. Hetty creased her brow as she remembered the other CIA operative who had been with her during that time, Owen Granger. His son would have been ten, but he showed no concern back then to have had a family —- a wife and daughter, dead and a son missing. If only he had opened up to her on the subject back then, she could have told him where to look. She knew only too well where he was, seeing she over saw him as much as her job allowed. How different both men's lives would have been if they weren't both as stubborn as each other.

"Callen's not going to like it, Hetty." Nell's words pulled her from her memories.

"Mr Callen has no choice now, Miss Jones. He is still unconscious and is about to be airlifted to Stanford Hospital." Hetty paused as she realised Owen's plan. "Has Granger asked you for Callen's new identity?"

"Yes he has. I'm sorry but he made me tell him..." Nell felt terrible over the whole situation. She worried over the team as if they were her family.

"Do not worry, Miss Jones. It's out of our hands now. We're going to need you back out in the field again. Are you up for another outing?" Hetty inquired of the younger woman. She knew Nell enjoyed it, but she worried over the times she had found herself alone and in danger.

"As long as I have a partner to back me up, I'll be glad to help," Nell replied. She worried over how she was going to break the news to Eric though.

"Mr Hanna will be without a partner. He will protect you well, Miss Jones, and you will learn a great deal from him." Hetty smiled at her Intelligence Analyst. Her plan in training young Nell was coming along well indeed.

"Yes, I will. Just as long as he has no intentions of picking me up and carrying me," she told her seriously.

Hetty was unsuccessful in hiding a chuckle. Both women burst out laughing at the image of Sam carrying Nell to safety. It was the medicine both women needed at that moment. A good belly laugh.

_**Moss Beach**_

Owen Granger strode through the emergency doors of Seton Coastside Medical Centre with a force of annoyance and worry. Word had come to him of the death of Sidorov and his men, but also of the wounding of a woman whose kids looked a lot like Callen. It didn't take much for Granger to figure out where Callen and Gibbs had hidden the Day family. News of Marcel Janvier's escape had also reached his ears from the San Francisco office, sending him into an immediate tis, which caused him to get angry and threaten Hetty. He knew the worry over his son and his family had pushed him to do it. It frustrated him that after all he and Hetty had been through together on assignments over the years at the CIA, he thought she would be more willing to open doors to her team for him. He was desperate to see his son, but it had all gone terribly wrong from the first moment, when Callen and Sam had almost killed him. He had threatened their "mother" placing him in their outer circle of trust. Then out of fear for his grandchildren, he devised a plan that caused more pain for his son, casting more distance between them. Enough was enough. He was going to end this tension between them once and for all.

"Where is he?" Owen demanded as he looked Sam squarely in the eyes.

"Who?" Sam played dumb.

"You know very well who I'm talking about. Where is he?" Granger growled deep in his throat at the large well built agent before him. He knew if push came to shove, Sam would have him head locked and on the floor in seconds. Not something he desired. "Look I am aware of Janvier's escape. I need to see him now." Owen calmed his voice down, hoping for some cooperation from Callen's partner.

"You can't see him, sir." Dr Schmidt exited through the doors to see if the agent going with Callen had arrived.

"Yes, I can and I will. Take me through to him now, please." He remembered Hetty advising him to use his manners or else he would struggle for people to co-operate.

"Family only." The doctor stood firmly in place, blocking Owen's path.

"I am family. I'm his father." Dr Schmidt looked over to Sam for confirmation. Sam's head laid low, realising that Granger had more right than any of them to go through to see his partner.

Tom and Bronte stood and walked closer towards Granger, frustrated that he could waltz in and get his way. They knew their dad wouldn't be happy to find Granger when he woke. "Dad said you're not welcome in our family. Grandpa has been more of a father to our dad than you'll ever be," Bronte told him, her legs shook from nerves.

Granger's heart broke hearing his granddaughter's words. He knew she spoke the truth. "I cannot undo the past but I have the power to change the future. He's my son and I will take care of him now. I promise I will look after him. When this is all over, I will bring him home to you," Granger admitted to her.

"No!" Sam walked over. "He's not going to like it. After all that you've done to him, think about what you're doing? He doesn't need this kind of stress." Sam hoped he could reason with their boss.

"It's all arranged. I have my new identity matched with my son's. It will give us the chance to sort this strain between us," he quietly told Sam.

Sam shook his head. He knew he had no power to change what Granger had set in motion. His heart ached as if someone's hand had entered his chest and squeezed his heart tight.

Tom looked to his grandpa, hoping he could do something. But Gibbs only shook his head. Owen was above him, he had no choice but to let Granger go to protect Callen from Janvier, while he recovered.

Dr Schmidt exited the waiting room with Granger following, while everyone else sat down feeling defeated on all sides. A few minutes later a nurse walked out and over to Gibbs. "Your daughter is in a room now. You can visit her." She looked at the crowd. "Family only."

Sam, Deeks and Kensi nodded and said their goodbyes. They were heading home to L.A. as soon as soon as Callen was taken by helicopter to Stanford.

Gibbs heart pounded fast as he followed the nurse down the corridors and finally to an ICU room, first from the nurses' station. He pushed the curtain back and hesitated seeing Ava lying so still in the bed. Her skin was a ghostly colour, which was a contrast to the red blood running down the tubing into the back of her right hand. "It's going to take a few days to get her blood levels right again," the nurse explained. She left the five of them speechless as they stared at their daughter and mother.

Gibbs sat down by her left side placing her hand in his, hoping that Ava would know he was there. Her skin felt dry and cold, surprising him. He studied her checking that she was actually fine, as the surgeon had told him. It was hard to take it all in, seeing her sleep there so peacefully. Tom, Bronte, Jesse and Kelly sat on the chairs a member of staff had brought in for them, after seeing there were five of them. They sat quietly, afraid to speak, as they all saw their mom lie peacefully along with the regular heart beat on the monitor beside the bed. It reassured them that she was in fact alive, but it scared them just the same to see their mom in this condition. Normally their mom was full of life and sparkle, even through the tough times, she would try hard for them to be happy. She was their anchor, who kept them safe, and their north to direct them when decisions had to be made. The past year had been their toughest to date, but also their most exciting and enjoyable one, starting a new life together.

Ava felt warmth on her hand. It felt so good and comforting. The hands were rough and she knew they belonged to her father, who had calluses from firing a gun for work and creating things from wood for a hobby. He even carried the smell of wood around him from working with it so much. But not today, she realised. He smelt of gunpowder. She knew that smell meant one thing. He had fired a gun and most probably had killed someone. Her eyes fluttered opened, shocked by the bright lights in the room. She squinted her eyes as she waited for them to adjust to the brightness.

"Nat, sweetheart." Ava turned her head in the direction of her father's voice, surprised by his use of her new identity. She had to think back to why he called her that new name, but then she remembered. Finding Matt's lifeless body, the threat against her and that of her children's. Then the gunfire at the bakery. She winced in pain as she tried to move to a more comfortable position in the bed. "Stay still. I'll raise the bed head for you, okay?"

Ava nodded. Gibbs released her hand to attend to the remote, giving Ava the opportunity to remove the oxygen mask from her face. As she was raised with the bed, she noticed her children, all four expectant and worried faces, watching her. "Hey," she managed to whisper. Her throat felt rough. She saw a glass and straw on the table. She stretched her hand out to reach it, but it was too far. Tom stood and picked it up and took it closer to her mouth.

"Here, Mom. Let me help." Tom sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to cause her any pain, he stayed close to aid her in taking a sip of water.

Ava sipped but then pushed it away. She looked over at her children and frowned. "Where's..." Her voice struggled to perform properly. She turned to her father. "G?"

Gibbs tried hard to avert Ava's gaze, but found he couldn't do it for long. "He's not here," he told her. He had heard the helicopter take off fifteen minutes earlier, so he knew he was telling her the truth.

"Not here?" Her eyes displayed disappointment that she was not worthy of his presence at her bedside.

"Only family were allowed to see you," Gibbs tried to make her feel better.

"But he is family. He's..." She coughed as her throat struggled performing a simplest of duties of talking. But what was he? She always regarded him as family, even after they had split up. They had two beautiful children together. As far as she was concerned, he was always family to them.

"He had to leave," Tom added, hoping to help his grandpa out. "He and his team have all left." Another piece of truth told, although Ava thought she could see something in their eyes that told her there was something held back.

She felt weak and tiredness took over as she closed her eyes again to sleep. Her mind drifted to another time, when they were all happy in Half Moon Bay. It was only a month earlier, when Lexie had graduated at the top of her class from High School. Her dad and Callen had arrived in town a few days earlier for the occasion. They had spent the days leading up to the event catching up and surfing. Ava had even taken up stand-up paddle boarding and loved it. She would paddle out on her knees past the waves then stand up and paddle length ways up and down the bay, before heading back into shore on a wave. The thrill it gave her, made her glow with excitement. To ride the wave like she had was an experience she didn't want to end. Callen had stood on the beach applauding her efforts of not falling down. She challenged him to have a go and watched him with laughter as he tried unsuccessfully to paddle standing up, before he had gone past the breaks. He had fallen off twice, before accepting to kneel paddle out to the deeper water. A small smile graced her lips as she drifted off to sleep dreaming of her and Callen with their kids.


	7. Chapter 7

**Half Moon Bay**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

_**Los Angeles**_

Sam entered the mission along side Kensi and Deeks with his shoulders hunched. Hetty knew instantly that her senior agent was worrying about his partner. But they all needed Sam to lead the team to find Janvier and deal with him, they couldn't afford for the French arms dealer to continue to pose a threat to any of them.

"Mr Hanna." She called him over, knowing she had a battle on her hands. She poured some tea from her teapot and set a cup in front of the former Navy SEAL. He may have retired from the unit, but he was still a SEAL at heart. Never leave a man behind. Their motto, which she knew Sam felt heavy on his chest, from deserting his partner.

Sam sighed and walked over to Hetty's office and silently sat opposite her. He hated tea, but understood the action made by the older woman.

"I know you feel guilty from leaving your partner, Mr Hanna, however, you are needed to lead this team to end Marcel Janvier for good." Hetty watched Sam's head shoot up to meet her gaze. Realisation hit him like a freight train as her words sunk in. End Janvier.

Anger flared from his brown eyes that were usually full of kindness. "He's behind poisoning G, Hetty. I just know it." Both pondered on the severity of Callen's condition for a moment. "We got the go ahead to kill him then?"

Henrietta Lange nodded. "Indeed we have, Mr Hanna. From the President himself. After hearing how from prison Janvier had masterminded your partner's poisoning, the President has signed the Frenchman's death warrant."

"You know Janvier wants G to kill him in cold blood. He's tried so hard to seduce him into it. How G has managed to stopped himself from doing so, I have no idea." So much threat to himself and his wife as well as the rest of the team and his partner's family had come from just one man's psychological madness in revenge on his partner.

"Mr Callen made a decision when he became a man, to either be like the men who abused him while he was in foster care, or to be a good man. Your partner chose the latter and has only worked in our government agencies ever since to save the innocent. This is the very essence of Mr Callen. If he kills Janvier, he will destroy himself. Janvier knows this, which is why he has played this game with Mr Callen for so long.

"I should be with him, Hetty. He needs me to have his back." Guilt rested heavily on Sam's shoulders over not being able to be there for Callen.

"Mr Callen needs to recover in safety. He is in no condition to fight back if Janvier finds him. It has to be this way. If Janvier comes to Los Angeles looking for your partner, he will think he's achieved his goal in killing him. Then we can end him for good, Mr Hanna. We all know it has to be done this way. Now I need you to lead this team while your partner is no longer with us. Miss Jones has agreed to be your partner, on the condition you never carry her to safety." A small smile edged on her lips as she remembered the laughter she had with the younger woman earlier in the day.

Sam nodded. "But, just so you know, Hetty, I've carried many men far stronger and larger than Nell to safety. If I see the need, I won't hesitate," he pressed.

"I am fully aware of that, Mr Hanna, however, only if the need means saving her life. She wants to do her job properly. Show her the way." Hetty replied. "Now when Granger returns we'll organise a plan to sort Janvier out for good."

"But Granger's not coming back, Hetty. Don't you know?" Sam asked, surprised that she didn't know.

"Know what, Mr Hanna?" Hetty narrowed her eyes, puzzled over what her senior agent implied.

"Granger's gone with G," Sam revealed with anger edged in his voice. "He marched into the medical centre and pulled the father card. Can you believe it? After all these years neglecting his son..."

"He's what? Oh that stubborn bastard." Hetty took another sip from her cup, hoping the tea would calm her nerves. She let out a huff as she thought it over. "I suppose it's what Mr Callen needs, Mr Hanna. To be cared for by a parent. Whether he likes it or not, they both need to reconcile their differences."

"No! What G needs is someone he cares about to be with him. Not Granger." Sam's muscles tensed under his shirt as he tried hard to stifle his anger over the stunt that Granger had pulled.

"But if Owen hadn't played the parent now, when would he ever get another chance, Mr Hanna? Oh I know he's a bastard, but he has many good qualities as well. He and Mr Callen can be as stubborn as each other. Where do you think your partner inherited the lone wolf tendencies?"

"Granger," Sam realised.

"Precisely."

Eric stood at the top of the stairs and blew into a whistle, resulting in a shrill sound being forced from its lower end. "Hetty, we've found something."

Sam, Hetty, Deeks and Kensi raced up the stairs to see what had Eric so excited.

Eric and Nell beamed and Hetty instantly knew that team work had paid off between the Technical Operator and Intelligence Analyst. "What have you found?" Hetty asked, addressing them to share this news with them. A bubble of excitement and joy entered her belly, as she watched proudly at the youngest of her team.

"Well, I was going over video surveillance from Cedar-Sinai Medical Centre and found this woman, dressed as a nurse, go to the medical cabinet about an hour before Nurse Doris gave Sam Callen's medicine." Eric brought the image of the woman up onto the big screen.

"I happen to see this woman and recognised her from video surveillance I had been going through from Kirkland Correctional Institution." Nell added as she brought up the image of Janvier in the infirmary, a week earlier.

Hetty instantly picked up the phone and made a call. When the person on the other end picked up, there was no helloes, as Hetty went straight into conversation. "Why did Janvier go to the infirmary last week?"

The man on the other end was used to the sudden conversation whenever Henrietta Lange called, it came to him as no surprise for the outburst of a question.

"He had been vomiting for twelve hours. We had to send him for treatment. I know we had strict restrictions for this inmate, but we had waited far longer than we would have for any other inmate. We would have been pulled up for breaking the humanity treaty, had we not." The unknown man on the other end of the call replied.

"Who's the nurse?" Hetty asked.

"Our usual nurse had taken ill, we had a replacement, a..." They could hear the man look up on his computer the details. "Susanna Monroe. A full background check was done on this woman and she checked out," he added. "What's this about?" Neither used names of the other when on the phone.

"Your nurse was poisoned so this replacement could come in. Janvier played you all. He managed to get someone he knew in to play nurse and arrange for her to poison one of my people." Anger rippled through Hetty as she realised that all the safe guards she and her contact had made to ensure Janvier had no contact with people, had failed.

"I'm sorry. We did a check and she passed." The man on the other end's voice became deflated before he ended the call. Guilt hung over the man who had done his best to help protect Hetty's people from this psychological killer.

"Eric, find this woman under the name my contact gave you. I want to know all her movements for the five months before Janvier was arrested in D.C., and to know where she is now and how she ended up at Cedar-Sinai Medical Centre," Hetty commanded.

"On it." Both Eric and Nell returned to their computer stations and typed away.

"I suggest the three of you get some well deserve rest before we find Janvier or this Monroe woman." Sam, Kensi and Deeks nodded and left to get some sleep.

_**Stanford**_

Callen's eyelids felt heavy, as he tried to pry them open. The room was dim, and the voices were low. His eyes were blurry as he eventually managed to flicker them open, which meant he couldn't make out the people beside him. He could make out sounds but he struggled to put the sounds into anything comprehensible.

"It's been eight hours, Mr Greer. If your son hasn't woken up in the next four hours, we're going to have to do another brain scan for activity. We have no idea how severely damaged Patrick is from the poisoning, until he wakes up, sir." Dr Murphy advised James Greer, Patrick's father.

Callen tried to gain their attention, but a muffled groan came out instead. Dr Murphy and James Greer both turned at the sound and realised Patrick was awake. Cerulean eyes stared back at them, with confusion on his face. Callen tried hard to say something and move his arm, unsuccessfully.

Owen Granger's heart ripped into tiny pieces as he watched his usually fit and healthy forty-four year old son, struggle to do the simplest movement and sounds. Owen moved forward and held his son's hand. "I'm here for you, son."

Tears welled up in Callen's eyes as the realisation that he was virtually paralysed, hit him. He blinked sending the salty liquid down his cheeks. He tried again to move his hand out of the figure's clutches, with no success. He swallowed and tried again to talk. "A..." Nothing. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't move his mouth and tongue to make the words he needed to say. He needed to find out about Ava. He couldn't remember anything else other than he needed to know that she was okay.

Dr Murphy called a nurse to come in while he assessed the patient. "He's struggling to talk. What was the prognosis from Seton regarding Patrick Greer's condition?"

The nurse quickly reread the report that arrived with the patient by helicopter, eight hours earlier. "He's suffered a head injury the day before and was admitted to Cedar-Sinai Medical Centre, where brain scans were undertaken. He checked himself out hours later, but he was given tablets for the pain from his head injury. Laboratory results came back that the tablets had been tampered with, poisoning Patrick Greer with cyanide. He arrived at Seton unconscious after taking another two tablets from the bottle. Once the results came in, Dr Schmidt administered Hydroxocobalamin to stop the poison from doing any more damage, and Sodium thiosulfate mixed with sodium nitrate to convert the cyanide for his body to excrete it naturally. He was running a fever, when he was airlifted to Stanford, where better facilities to cater for Mr Greer's condition were available."

Dr Murphy thought over the report. "Okay! Let's administer another dose of the Hydroxocobalamin, to see if that helps Patrick gain use of his body again. Keep him on fluids until he is strong enough to sit up and eat and drink on his own." He watched the nurse take the patient's temperature and he was pleased to see it had returned to normal. "Mr Greer." He motioned to move further away from Patrick. "Has your son been poisoned before?" Dr Murphy had seen a similar case before, where the patient had been previously poisoned. Once that information was provided, they were able to provide additional treatment and saw significant results in their recovery.

Owen nodded. "Two years ago, he was forced to drink water with cyanide. He managed to administer the Hydroxocobalamin fairly quickly. But this time he had no idea he had been poisoned. Does that affect his treatment?" He felt helpless not being able to fix this problem.

"Yes, it does. I'm sorry, I wish we had asked this question on arrival. We'll need to flush his kidneys out with a special liquid to help get rid of the toxin. It's been lingering in his system for too long." Dr Murphy looked beyond exhausted, but Owen admired his dedication to his patients. "I cannot guarantee this will not have any long term effects on your son. However, if he comes across cyanide again, please ensure he doesn't induce it. I doubt he'll survive a third time. He's already taken too long to wake up. But the fact that he has now and is trying to talk to us is a good sign that his brain is functioning well. We'll have to take him into surgery for this procedure. We need your authorisation to go ahead."

Owen nodded. "Yes, you have my permission." Owen sat back down beside his son, who had fallen back to sleep again. He seemed so weak compared to how strong he usually was. "I'm here for you now, son. I'm not leaving you."

_**Moss Beach**_

"You need to eat, Nat. You'll not get strong enough to heal properly if you don't," Gibbs stressed to his daughter.

Natalie laid on her hospital bed, faced away from her father. She had refused every meal brought into her since her arrival. "I want G.]," she admitted finally, after her father had pleaded with her to eat.

"Callen's not here. If this is your ploy to get him to come and see you, then this needs to stop." Gibbs calmly, but firmly told her.

"He's full of false promises. He said he would be here for me, for us, but he's not been in to visit me once since I arrived here." She sounded like a young girl demanding her own way. But she was tired of Callen letting her down. She thought she saw a change in him, like he meant what he had said. "Anyone would think, I had never mattered to him."

Ryan entered the room after overhearing his mom's words. "That's not true. He does care about you and us." He said in defence of his dad. Ryan turned to his grandpa. "You need to tell her. It's only fair on her and on dad," Ryan pleaded with him.

"Tell me what?" Natalie looked between her father and son and saw something that feared her. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest as worry over what had happened took over.

Gibbs noticed his daughter's stricken look on her face. "This is why we've not told you, Nat. You need to calm down and not worry about Callen."

"Tell me, because you know damn well I will worry either way," Natalie demanded.

Gibbs looked to his grandson and knew he had no choice. He hated to do this to her, but she had forced his hand. "Callen wanted to come in the ambulance with you when he arrived and found that you had been shot. I asked if I could come instead, I couldn't leave you." Natalie gripped her father's hand firmly as the emotion of almost losing her took hold of him.

"I'm safe now, Dad," she said to reassure him.

"He came with us to see you," Ryan added. "But he fell unconscious. It turns out dad was poisoned. They've had to air lift him to another hospital for treatment." Worry over his dad was clearly visible in his blue eyes.

"What? Why didn't you tell me...I've been cursing him and he's fighting for his life?" Natalie laid back on her pillow and squeezed her eyes shut to push the tears that threatened back. She took a deep breath before she spoke again. "When can we go see him? Have we heard how he is?" Suddenly she was eager to get out of the hospital just so she could seen him.

"We can't. His enemy was behind poisoning him. He's now escaped prison. Dad's been sent off with another identity with his boss as his guard," Ryan explained. "We tried to stop him, we knew dad wouldn't like him being there..."

"His father's gone with him?" Natalie thought back to the conversation Callen had with them on the plane over him. "Oh he's not going to like that at all." She thought about it for a moment. "But it may help them mend the rift between them. Your dad needs his father whether he realises it or not." She turned to her father. "Do we know what his new identity is?"

"No. It's for all our safety, until Janvier is found and killed, Callen can't be seen near anyone of us," Gibbs told her. He was saddened by the whole situation and he felt frustrated about not being able to go himself with Callen, but understood his daughter and her kids needed him too.

Natalie shook her head. "It's not fair." She missed him whenever he had returned to Los Angeles over the past year and she looked forward to his visits. They finally had a chance to become a family and this Janvier had ruined it again. But it gave her the determination to get better so when he could come back to them, she would be fighting fit again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Half Moon Bay**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

_**Stanford**_

Callen had been brought back into his room after surgery to flush his kidneys clear of the cyanide. It had been two hours since his return, where Granger sat and watched him sleep. His eyes darted forth and is heart rate soared on the monitor beside the bed as another nightmare took hold of him. Owen felt the need to wake him, knowing the anaesthetic held him under, unable to escape it. He understood too well about the nightmares and the havoc drugs played on ones mind enhancing them to be more intense.

"Patrick." He gently pushed him on the shoulder, hoping he would wake him.

Callen's eyes opened as he tried to bring his breathing back to normal after escaping another nightmare. He turned to face the familiar voice. Anger rippled through him as he saw his father sitting beside him. "Go away."

Relieved his son had spoken brought a small smile to his face. "Well aren't you a bright spark today?" He wasn't surprised by his son's attitude, therefore, he chose to ignore it. He hoped that by doing so might make some progress in them finally talking and resolving the issue he had with him. He was also pleased to see Callen had some movement. His condition a few hours earlier before the operation, had been too much for the Assistant Director of NCIS. Now he could move his head and talk. But he also knew that there would be a long recovery after the poisoning. The length of time his body had been exposed to the cyanide had almost killed him. He could see Callen was still very weak and would need therapy to return to his full strength again —- if he was lucky.

"What are you doing here?" Callen creased his face as he tried to move his arms and legs to reposition himself, unsuccessfully.

"Here, let me help." Owen Granger picked up the remote for the controls of the bed and raised the pillow end slowly.

Callen had no option but to oblige, seeing he struggled to moved his arms and legs much at all. But at least he could move them. Hope filled his mind that he was improving, although at a very slow pace. "What happened to me?" His voice was rough from coming out of the anaesthetic. He couldn't understand why he felt so weak.

"Janvier arranged for a nurse to swap your meds with ones laced with cyanide," Owen told him. He watched anger ripple through his son's body at the mere mention of the Frenchman.

"That's why I didn't want them. I never trust anyone...but Sam shoved them down my throat." Thinking about his partner, Callen wondered where he was. "Where's Sam?" He was used to his partner never leaving his side, whenever he was in hospital.

"He and the rest of your team have returned to Los Angeles." Owen saw confusion on Callen's face.

"What without me? Where's Ava? I need to see if she's okay." Callen paused as he saw Owen's expression of worry. "Please, I need to know if..."

"Yes, without you. They have work to do. Ava's fine. Tom saved her life by placing a bag of ice on her wound to stop the bleeding. Otherwise she would have bled to death," Owen advised him. He saw relief wash over Callen's face. He could see that he still loved her.

"Can I go and see her?"

Owen shook his head.

"I need to see her. You can't stop me."

"Like you're in a position to fight me on this one." Owen saw anger appear on Callen's face as he refused him the right to see the woman he loved. "I'm sorry, son. But you can't see her."

"Don't call me that," Callen snapped. "I'm not..."

"You are, and you're going to have to face it sooner rather than later. I even have DNA proof for you. You can't ignore the fact that I am your father anymore."

"I don't care if you have DNA proof, after the stint you pulled in D.C., I disowned you. It's not like you've been there for me when I've needed you. You can just go away. I've survived all these years without you, I don't need you now," he retorted.

Owen chuckled, slightly amused by his son's stubbornness and predicament. "If you hadn't noticed, I'm the only one here to help you."

"You're a bastard! Knowing you, you sent them all away, so I would have no choice. Well you can forget it. I'm out of here."

Owen watched Callen struggle, trying his damnedest to get out of the bed and walk out of the hospital. But reality hit Callen with a thud, as he fell towards the floor. Owen swiftly moved in to catch him, before he injured himself. They were still worried about his head wound from the other day, as well as the effects on his body from the cyanide poisoning.

"You think this is funny?" Callen growled, feeling frustrated at his situation of being fully reliant on the one person he despised the most, beside Janvier, that is.

Owen pressed the buzzer for assistance in getting Callen back onto the bed. A male nurse entered, quickly coming to Owen's aide. He lowered the bed, so they had less distance to lift him. This allowed them to lay Callen back onto the bed. The nurse raised Callen on the bed once more.

"Patrick, you need to recover from the cyanide poisoning. You are too weak to walk yet," the nurse stressed.

Callen turned his head away from Owen and the nurse, feeling like a small boy being reprimanded for doing the wrong thing. He would have preferred rolling over onto his side for more effect, but he found that an impossible task.

"Mr Greer, your son needs to wait until he's been assessed on his progress before we can recommend him being transferred for therapy. Now Dr Murphy mentioned that you were wanting to take your son home to Chicago?" The nurse looked at the details on Patrick's chart as he spoke with Owen.

"Yes, I do. The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago said they could help him," Owen replied. He had a lake house not too far out of Chicago, where he felt it would be a safe place for Callen to recover and be off Janvier's radar. He also hoped it would repair their relationship.

Callen's interest in Owen's conversation piqued as he listened in. Chicago? He almost scoffed, thinking it was just all talk for the nurse, and that Owen was really sending him home to his team in Los Angeles.

"That's good to hear. They are the best for this situation. If anyone can help your son, it's them." The nurse exited the room, leaving Owen and Callen alone.

"Yeah right. Chicago. As if," Callen scoffed.

Owen merely raised his brow at Callen's sureness of where he would take him once he was released from Stanford Hospital.

"You're not serious?" Callen worried as he saw a slight amusement in the older man. "You can't take me there without my permission." Callen was sure he would win this battle.

Owen saw his son's determination to fight him all the way on it. "Actually, I can and I will. You are in my care now, Patrick." Owen stressed the new name to Callen, hoping he would realise both men were living under new aliases for more than just this hospital stay.

"Oh no. I'm not going anywhere with you. I'll ring Director..." Owen swiftly moved his hand over Callen's mouth and placed his pointer finger from his other hand over his lips. Callen shook his head to remove Owen's hand off his mouth. "Get your hands off me. Don't you dare do that to me again." Callen narrowed his eyes at Owen, clearly peeved at him.

"You need to stop talking about your previous life. You're no longer who you were, now you are Patrick Greer, my son and you will listen to me," Owen softly growled in return. "Your life depends on it. After the last time you were in a hospital…"

"What? You can't be serious. Forget my previous life? No way. I've worked hard to become who I am, I'm not leaving my life for you to protect me. I have kids to think about," Callen huffed as he put forward his case. There was no way he was going to leave Ava and their kids now. Not after the progress he had made over recent months with Ava. Just thinking of her made his heart ache. He had once again placed her life in danger. Maybe Granger was right. No. He was not going to give in to some threat by Janvier anymore. He had risked so much already. He made a promise to her that he would be there for them this time. A promise he was determined to keep. He had let her down too much already. Leaving like he had when she was pregnant with Bronte —- hiding them from his life as his children grew and not attending Tom's graduation. What difference had it made anyway? Janvier found his son in D.C. eventually anyhow. Then Ava lost Matt, thanks to him. "I need to see Ava. If you won't help me, I'll ask a nurse to take me to her."

"She's not here. She's at Seton Coastside Medical Centre, in Moss Beach," Owen admitted.

"I know where she is, I came with Sam and our kids to see her after she was shot," Callen snapped, as his anger reappeared it's ugly head again. He thought for a moment on what Granger had told him and realised he mustn't be at the same hospital. "Where are we?"

"Stanford Hospital. You were airlifted here late yesterday, in hope to save your life. They couldn't help you any further at Seton." Memory of the fight for his son's life resurfaced, catching him unaware as the emotion of it all came back to him. He turned and exited the room to catch his breath and to give him space, to get himself back into full control of his feelings towards his son. He had tried hard for the past few years to keep them reigned in.

Callen noticed the change in Granger. The softness in his voice, the tears that welled up. Damn it Granger. Why now? After all these years, why do you have to show me you care? he thought to himself. Callen tried to ignore the effects of Granger's sudden surge of emotion towards him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake it. He preferred it when the old man fought against him. It was easier to hate him then. All these years he had sought his identity and family. Now he was with his father and he couldn't let him in. What was wrong with him? He was no better than his father, he realised. Stubborn old bastard. But he had tried so hard to change that with his own kids. _Crap, G. You're no better than he is._

Owen sat in the corridor outside of Callen's room. He needed the space, but Callen's need for protection was more urgent. His cell rang. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and sighed as he saw Hetty's ID appear on the screen. "Yes!" He was more harsh in his answer than he wanted to, as he was still reeling from the emotions that refused to go away.

"Owen, what on earth are you doing?" Hetty inquired of her old colleague and boss. "You never showed any inclination to care for your son, yet now I hear from Mr Hanna that you've gone in as the agent protecting him. Have you advised Leon on this matter?" She waited a moment for Owen's reply, surprised for his lack of retort in response to her. "Owen? Is everything alright up there?" Worry over her team leader resurfaced due to Owen's lack of comment.

"It's been better and yes he knows," Owen finally replied. "He hates me, you know that. He's hated me from the first moment he laid eyes on me. And now that he knows the truth he hates me even more."

Hetty remained quiet as she waited for Owen to spill all that was bothering him.

"But I'll not give up without a fight. He's my son and I have loved him since Clara first told me that she was expecting him. I have to do this, Henrietta. I cannot go on like this any further. He needs me now, whether he wants it or not." His voice quavered as the emotions slipped out again. "He's weak. The doctor had to perform surgery to flush his kidneys, to give him a chance of returning to normal. He came out of surgery about two hours ago. He's awake now and can talk and move a little. But he's still very weak."

"Oh dear!" Hetty's concern for her lead agent increased once more. "You've not made it easy on yourself, Owen. All these years working along side of him, never saying a word to him. It's no wonder he hates you. However, I am pleased to hear that you are doing something now to make amends. Please pass on my thoughts to Mr Callen and keep me apprised of his development. I will let you know if we have anything new on dealing with Janvier. Take care of him for us, please. Mr Hanna is downcast at not being there for his partner."

"I know I haven't. I'm trying to sort this out. I've never been good at this. Thanks and I will."

The connection went dead as Hetty disconnected the call. Satisfied that Owen had the right intentions for Callen, she inwardly smiled and hoped that these two men might find some form of common ground to start over as father and son.

_**Los Angeles**_

"You what?" Sam looked at Nell, shocked at her request.

"I want you to spar with me." Nell stood with her hands on her hips in her gym gear, determined to achieve her goal of learning as much as she possibly could from the former SEAL.

"That's what I thought you said. But that's not going to happen, Nell. I'll hurt you." Sam shook his head. "Perhaps if G was here, he would have been a better teacher than me."

Nell could see the sadness in Sam's eyes at the thought of his partner. She could tell it was killing him not being there to take care of Callen. It was true what everyone said about Sam's loyalty. "I could always get Hetty to partner us up for a Viennese Waltz then if you would prefer?" Nell jested, hoping to cheer Sam up a little. It was hard on them all knowing that Callen was almost killed by Janvier and gone into protective custody. None of them knew how long it would take for Callen to recover, or how long it would be before they found Janvier and ended him for good.

Sam cringed at the thought. "You wouldn't dare…" He glared at Nell.

"She might not dare, Mr Hanna, but I would." Hetty walked into the gym holding a stereo in her hand. She placed it on a table and plugged it into the power outlet.

"No! No! No! No! Hetty!" Sam shook his head and pleaded with her to spare him from dancing with Nell.

Hetty turned and winked at Nell before returning to face Sam. "The Viennese Waltz or sparring, Mr Hanna. Miss Jones needs your expertise to aide her in her field work. You also need to be in sync when you're out there together. Now, Mr Hanna, what will it be?"

Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head in defeat. "Okay! I will spar with Nell. Perhaps we'll use some weapons, that way I won't be forced to lift her up and throw her down onto the mat, or flip her over my shoulder."

Nell nodded in agreement. She'd rather use a weapon, than have body contact with the hulk-built senior agent.

Pleased with Sam's willingness to teach Nell skills for the field, Hetty left them to it. She hoped it wouldn't be too long before they found this nurse, hoping she would lead them to Janvier. She wanted her team leader back in the fold sooner, rather than later.

Deeks laughed as he saw Nell and Sam using sticks against each other. It was like watching Hetty fight someone, thinking her opponent had the advantage, except the petite woman would place them into a false sense of security, then bring them down with ease. But in this case, the detective wasn't sure that Nell had a chance. It wasn't just her size, but her lack of experience that she had against her, in comparison to Sam's. Kensi arrived beside her partner and smiled that wicked cheeky grin of hers as if she knew something that he wasn't privy to.

"What are you so happy about?" he prodded, with his brows raised.

Kensi shrugged. "Oh nothing, Deeks. Just amused over the pairing here of Sam and Nell." She turned to Sam and increased her volume. "If G saw you now, Sam, he would give you are ribbing. You're going too soft on Nell."

Sam knew Kensi was right, but he just couldn't push Nell like he did with his partner. He stopped for a moment and saw her cheeky grin. Before he had a chance to react, Nell had him whacked in the ribs with her stick, and kicked him behind his knee, sending him face forward onto the mat.

"Should have made a waver on that one, Nell. You're looking good." Kensi praised her fellow female colleague.

"Thanks, Kens." Nell's face was red from the exertion, but she was ready when Sam stood up again. "Ready, Sam?" She smiled sweetly at him. It was clear from his face that he was surprised by her attack on him.

Sam shook his head in wonder. "Show me what you've got, Nell." All care for going easy on the Intelligence Analyst went out the window. His pride was at stake.

Deeks and Kensi leaned on the gym wall, amused at Nell's skill. Yet Kensi wasn't surprised one bit. Deeks picked up on that fact too. "You got something you want to share, Fern?" Deeks loved seeing the smile on her face.

"I may or may not have some inside information," Kensi admitted.

"You do, don't you? Come on, Kens. You can tell me. We're partners. That's what partners do after all." He pleaded with her, making her laugh. She loved moments like this, when they were relaxed and enjoyed some fun. It also took her mind off worrying about Callen.

"Thanks," Kensi replied.

"For what?" Deeks asked, knowing too well what. He had made her laugh. The first laugh she had made since Sidorov had showed up earlier in the week.

Kensi punched him in the arm. "You know."

Her grin remained on her face, as Deeks gently rubbed his now slightly sore arm. He should be used to it by now, after the years of being punched by his partner. He wondered if it was out of habit that he rubbed his arm now, or if it was because it actually hurt. He would never use the term punch like a girl around Kensi, because she punched like a man." "Glad I could help." He grinned ear to ear over to his parter, before placing his attention back to Sam and Nell.

Nell met Sam's every move. He attacked, she countered, defending herself from the man who stood one and a half times the size over her.

"So what's the inside information?" Deeks asked Kensi, still watching the match before them.

"Hetty and I have been giving Nell lessons for the past twelve months. She's progressed a long way, don't you think?" Kensi watched on amused, as Nell used her short stature to her advantage and almost flip Sam over her shoulder. But Sam caught her move before she could achieve it.

"Good try, Nell." Sam praised her. He was still surprised over Nell's skill. He realised now why Hetty had pushed him to spar with her. To make him realise Nell was more useful than just for her brains, and that he could trust her to have his back, not just for him to protect her in the field. Hetty was the queen of ulterior motives.

Eric interrupted their entertainment as he ran into the gym. "I've found her. Susanna Monroe." The agents nodded and followed Eric up the stairs to Ops.

Eric stood in front of the large screen and briefed the team before him. Hetty entered and remained towards the rear as he provided them with the information.

"It was hard to find who she really is, but her real name is Jacquie Ghilas, the wife of the real driver in Zahid DeGramont's gang." Eric brought up the image of the men the team had killed when Janvier was shot by Callen, on their first meeting. When they thought he was just the driver, Karam Ghilas.

"How did we miss this?" Sam turned to Hetty, frustrated that Callen's life hung in the balance by a woman who wanted revenge on his partner.

"Janvier made sure we looked no further than himself, in his threat to Mr Callen. This new information makes this woman equally dangerous to Mr Callen and to the rest of you. Proceed with caution," Hetty stressed to her team.

"Her address is on your phones." Eric looked worried when he saw Nell leave with Sam.

"I assure you that Mr Hanna will keep her safe, Mr Beale. We've learned our lesson to make sure she's never placed in danger on her own again." Hetty hoped her words would appease his concern over his partner.

Sam drove quickly in the challenger. It all seemed wrong to them both seeing Nell sit in the seat where G normally sat. Whenever Nell had gone out with them in the past, she always sat in the back. Now it was just the two of them. Kensi and Deeks drove behind in the silver SUV.

Nell opened her tablet and analysed the intel they had on the woman, who posed as Susanna Monroe. How she had managed to get a nursing position, she had no idea. Fake credentials screamed back at Nell that she was a fake. But the normal run of the mill HR staff at Cedar-Sinai Medical Centre didn't have access to the data that she and Eric could find. She checked her weapon one last time and placed it in her waistband. Monroe was slightly taller than herself, but Nell had the confidence that she could take her on, especially with her team beside her.

"What are you thinking, Nell?" Although Sam kept his eyes focused on the road, he knew Nell's brain was ticking over quickly.

"I just don't see how this woman could pose as a nurse, let alone get offered a position at the hospital. She has no background in medicine," Nell admitted to Sam.

"So what you are saying, is that you think she's had help?" Sam inquired.

"Yes. She definitely has a partner," Nell added.

"Did you hear that, Deeks and Kens?" Sam asked their other duo through the comms.

"Loud and clear," Deeks replied. They parked four houses down from the address Eric had given them. Silently they moved up the road and prepared to surround the house. Deeks and Kensi moved to the rear, while Sam and Nell took the front.

"On the count of three," Sam whispered. Three, two, one." They pushed down the front and rear doors to the suburban brick home. "Federal agents. Drop your weapons." A man and a woman fired at Sam and Nell, when Deeks and Kensi moved in from the rear, they fired, hitting the two suspects. The woman fell onto the table, hitting her head as she went down, knocking her unconscious. The man kept firing, barely missing Nell and Sam, who took cover behind a sofa in the living room. Nell peeped over the brown leather sofa and fired a third time, hitting the man in the chest. He fell backwards onto the floor.

Deeks moved in and checked his pulse after he had kicked the man's weapon away from him. He looked at Nell and smiled. "Good shot. You got him."

Nell beamed as she felt pleased with her skill in hitting her target. Sam patted her shoulder. "Good one, Nell."

"Eric, we need paramedics in here. The woman is down, bullet wound to the abdomen and knocked unconscious from her fall," Kensi called through the comms. "Her companion is dead."

"They're five minutes out, Kens." Eric was all smiles at Hetty, as he had heard Deeks and Sam's praises to Nell. It confirmed to him that she was safe.

_**Moss Beach**_

Michael Slater, Natalie's surgeon, entered her room as Gibbs and Ryan sat with her. "Hi Natalie, I'm Michael Slater, your surgeon. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, considering, thanks. Thank you for saving my life." Natalie knew she had come close to death, after losing consciousness at the bakery and waking up hours later in an ICU room.

"You're most welcome." He gave her a warm smile, pleased to see her sitting up and chatting with her visitors. "Can I speak with you alone for a minute, if you don't mind?" Gibbs and Ryan nodded and left them alone. Michael sat on the edge of the bed so he could face her as they chatted. "When we did a test to find out your blood type, something was picked up that we didn't expect. But we're glad we did."

Natalie furrowed her brow as worry over what was wrong with her flowed through her mind. Michael noticed and immediately wanted to ease her mind. "We found human chorionic gonadotropin in your blood, otherwise known as hCG."

"I'm pregnant?" Disbelief was evident on her face.

"Yes! You didn't know?" Michael saw a mixture of emotion in her face and eyes. But he couldn't make out what she was feeling exactly.

"No, I didn't." Natalie shook her head.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of your father or son. But would the father be the other patient admitted yesterday with cyanide poisoning by any chance? He had seen his fellow colleague Dr Alex Schmidt talk with the family in the waiting room, after he had spoken to her father about her condition.

Natalie nodded. "No one knows that we um..." She felt awkward to have this particular conversation with her surgeon. She blushed. "He's the father to my eldest two, but my husband who died last year is father to my youngest two. Things have happened again, only recently with Jake. It took us both by surprise. I mustn't be more than six weeks." She tried hard to think back to the dates of Lexi's graduation.

"We were surprised you didn't miscarry, with all the blood that you lost. I suggest we send you down for an ultrasound to check that everything is okay with the baby and make sure your dates match up. But you need to take good care of yourself. Rest, and I mean loads of rest. Your body needs you to get well and strong again as soon as possible. You could still miscarry after what you've been through. I'll send a nurse in to take you down to radiology, once I can make a time for you."

"Thank you. For saving both of our lives." Natalie gently rubbed her belly, thinking about the baby growing inside of her.

"Your welcome. I hope we receive good news from your ultrasound. I'll be back later after I've had a chance to go through the report from the sonographer." Michael stood and exited the room, pleased they had managed to save her life, and hopefully that of her baby's.

Natalie watched her surgeon leave with tears in her eyes. "Oh, G! Where are you? We need you better again and back home with us," She whispered into the air.

The End!


End file.
